

The Site
A protected wild site classified as Natura 2000
A river of exceptional dimensions: 600 meters wide on a straight line of 5 km between the Asques bend and that of Saint Pardon
An 18th century residence located 35 m from the river
2000 m² of park
A very accessible location, 25 minutes from Bordeaux (20 minutes ring road), 12 minutes from Libourne and Saint André de Cubzac

A Natura 2000 classified site which combines a wild river of exceptional dimensions and an 18th century building
The Péniche du Mascaret is located in Saint Germain de la Rivière (33) in the heart of an exceptional natural site combining the presence of an 18th century building itself positioned just a few meters from the Dordogne, a real river which stands out here for its wild character and its large dimensions (600 meters wide).
The site is at the center of a natural area classified and preserved " Natura 2000 ". The Natura 2000 network brings together the protected natural sites of the European Union with a great heritage value, by the exceptional fauna and flora that they contain. In addition, the remarkable biodiversity of the river ecosystem is at the origin of the recognition of "World Biosphere Reserve" granted by UNESCO to the Dordogne basin. It is the only river in France whose entire basin has been classified as a " World Biosphere Reserve " by UNESCO . With its 24,000 km², the Dordogne basin is the largest French Biosphere Reserve and the first in Europe structured around a watercourse and its watershed.

Remarkable biodiversity
The Dordogne has a remarkable ecosystem with a unique and protected biocenosis. The water quality of the Dordogne is considered "Good" while that of the Garonne is described as "Fair".
This difference results from the impact of industrial and port activities around the Gironde capital (Bordeaux and its agglomeration with 801,041 inhabitants) while the Dordogne is the only French river not to host industrial sites and major cities . Indeed, over more than 480 km (and no less than 6 departments crossed from its source: Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Corrèze, Lot, Dordogne and Gironde), the Dordogne only hosts two cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, Libourne (24,511 inhabitants) and Bergerac (26,823 inhabitants).
The Dordogne is the last basin in Europe that welcomes all the species of protected migratory fish of Western Europe , namely 8 species: Atlantic salmon, sea trout, allis shad, twaite shad, sea and river lampreys, European sturgeon and eel. The same is true for certain plants such as the Estuary Angelica. This plant, now protected, is one of the rare French endemic species. This means that in the world, it is only present in France.
The European sturgeon population that frequents the estuary is confined to the Dordogne - Garonne - Gironde basin. It is the only natural species of sturgeon in Western Europe and currently, there is only one population. Endangered, the species has been protected since 1982 in France and 1998 in Europe.

The Dordogne Basin Biosphere Reserve
In 2012, UNESCO included the Dordogne River basin in the global network of Biosphere Reserves, thus recognizing its exceptional ecological, landscape, historical, cultural and societal character. A Biosphere Reserve is a site for the application of UNESCO's scientific program "Man and the Biosphere" (MAB) created in 1971. It pursues the objective of reconciling the conservation of natural resources, the quest for economic and social development and the maintenance of cultural values.
With its 24,000 km², the Dordogne basin is the largest French Biosphere Reserve and the first in Europe structured around a river and its watershed. The founding principle of the Dordogne Basin Biosphere Reserve is the preservation of its river heritage, the resources and the benefits it provides. This is a condition for the future development of this territory and the well-being of those who live there. It is for this reason that the Dordogne River was designated by UNESCO as the core area of the reserve, whose primary function is the conservation of biodiversity, i.e. that of the ecosystems and species that the river shelters. In other words, the reserve strives to allow human activities related to the river while ensuring that they are carried out in accordance with natural balances.

As a Biosphere Reserve, UNESCO recognizes the Dordogne basin's strong commitment to sustainable development and integrated management of natural resources, on a coherent scale, made possible by dialogue and consultation between all stakeholders in the region since the early 1990s. This was the epic of the Dordogne Valley Summit in 1992 and then the successive Estates General, led by EPIDOR, the Dordogne basin's territorial public establishment (see paragraph below) every ten years, which allowed all users and citizens to reflect on the future of the Dordogne basin and to imagine innovative solutions.
The objective pursued by the Biosphere Reserve is a coherent and sustainable management of water and the environment on the scale of the Dordogne watershed. This is based on concrete actions to preserve or restore natural environments, improve water resources in terms of quality and quantity, as well as the coherent development of economic activities linked to waterways. Among other actions, this involves going into the field to monitor, working on flood prevention and management, studying fish populations, particularly migratory fish, carrying out large-scale ecological renaturation projects and protecting wetlands.

A natural heritage managed by EPIDOR
EPIDOR is the territorial public establishment of the Dordogne basin. Its action falls within a mission of general interest: to act for sustainable management of water, rivers and aquatic environments. It was recognized by decree of the coordinating prefect of the Adour Garonne basin in November 2006. EPIDOR is a founding member of the French association of EPTB. The main objective of EPIDOR is to formulate strategies appropriate to the problems of the Dordogne watershed and to implement them quickly while respecting four principles:
Designing action at the watershed scale
Clarify the responsibilities and skills of the various actors while respecting the principle of subsidiarity
Bringing water policy into line with other policies implemented in watersheds (agriculture, urbanization, industry)
Finding the necessary means to implement ambitious policies on the Dordogne watershed.
EPIDOR is organized into seven major complementary missions:
Strategy and general administration
Water quality
Water quantity and river dynamics
Migratory fish and natural environments
Ecological management of watercourses
Basin observatory
Integrated management: water development and management plans (SAGE), low water management plan (PGE), river contracts
Learn more: EPIDOR - BIOSPHERE Dordogne Basin
