The court of Draguignan (Var) condemned this Friday a wine company for having cleared in February 2019 an area where the Hermann turtles, a protected species, had taken up residence.
The Château de Berne estate and its managers have announced that they want to appeal, reports Ouest-France.
They were sentenced to a total fine of 150,000 euros and to pay 375,700 euros in compensation for the ecological damage.
This sum is intended for the Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
It will be used to preserve the Hermann turtles.
The species would number nearly 15,000 individuals in the Var, including 10,000 in the reserve.
A land in the middle of a nature reserve
Those in charge of the castle had burned more than five hectares of land in the Plaine des Maures nature reserve, classified Natura 2000. At least two turtles had perished following the fire.
“The area had been fallow for a long time and […] before, there were vines and therefore agricultural activity,” said the estate, quoted by France Bleu Provence.
The leader of the reserve estimated that the company "could not ignore the reinforced level of protection".
Planet
Fires in the Var: In the charred forest, the rescue of Hermann's turtles is organized
Miscellaneous
Sum: It breaks down on the highway with contraband turtles
Animals
Court
Environment
Draguignan