Rivers

Its catchment area of around 490km² covers 31 municipalities and is entirely part of Hercynian Corsica, characterised by a bedrock dominated by granitoids. Since prehistoric times, an agro-pastoral society has developed here, as evidenced by the Filitosa site, evolving towards an agro-sylvopastoral organisation with, from the 15th century, the emergence of structuring villages in the upper valley, dividing their activities between the mountains and the plains. At the end of the eighteenth century, a class of landowners established themselves for the long term and gained political power, before the demographic surge of the nineteenth century profoundly transformed the space and social dynamics of the upper valley, where the population doubled to almost 8,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the twentieth century. At the same time, the lower valley became more settled and individualised through the division of land and the creation of separate communes. In the twentieth century, particularly after the First World War, the mountains were marginalised, leading to rapid de-urbanisation and a transformation of the landscape marked by the expansion of the maquis. However, the Taravu basin still retains a strong sense of geographical, environmental, historical, human and economic coherence, with a sense of community that is still very much alive, making a territorial approach to this valley more relevant than ever.

The Taravu flows through a mosaic of natural woodland and scrubland and extensive agricultural areas. Most of the river’s course is dominated by woodland and scrub, the variability of which reflects the natural gradation of vegetation, from the sub-alpine to the thermo-Mediterranean levels. Only the alluvial plain, which forms the most downstream part, is largely occupied by grazed meadows. A few plots of vines and rare areas of gardens and/or housing complete this mosaic, although they do not occupy a large area. The overall landscape is relatively homogenous, regularly interspersed with erosion-resistant granite layers that form rocky spurs on the hillsides and gorges along the river. These different environmental contexts define contrasting sections in terms of both physical characteristics (hydrodynamics, sediment regime, etc.) and biological characteristics (nature of the riparian vegetation, ecological potential, etc.).

The whole of the Taravu (except for the mouth area) is favourable to the development of trout: as such, the Taravu has the characteristics of a 1st category fish river. It should also be noted that several sections of the Taravu’s tributaries are strictly off-limits to fishing, with a view to protecting the macrostigma trout, which is emblematic of Corsica.

The Taravu watershed incorporates or intersects various areas marked by a wide diversity of natural spaces with high environmental value, namely six * ZNIEFF type I, five * ZNIEFF II and five Natura 2000 sites.( * Natural areas of ecological, faunistic and floristic interest).

The Parc Naturel de Corse covers around 20,500 hectares (around 6% of the total surface area of the PNRC) and covers 11 communes in the Haut and Moyen Taravu. A large number of plant and animal species thrive in the catchment area. These include plants, trees and shrubs, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals. Many of the species are endemic, rare, protected and often all three at the same time!

Furthermore, since 2017, the Taravu river has been awarded the “Wild River Sites” label, awarded by a scientific committee, attesting to the valley’s preserved and balanced character.

In France, only 7% of water bodies are in “very good ecological status” within the meaning of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), and it is estimated that less than 1% of rivers could be described as “wild”.
The main aim of the “wild river sites” label is to be a tool for managers of running water aquatic environments to improve the protection and conservation of rivers that are functioning ecologically well.

It incorporates the following concepts:

Quality of the state of preservation of the ecosystem;
Recognition and reward of the players in the territories for exemplary management of the river;
Reinforced protection, beyond the regulatory objectives stemming from the WFD, (Achievement of “good status”, Classifications…etc);
Collective will, shared in the preservation action (governance);
Strong economic value of the river (ecosystem services, attractiveness of the territory);
Valuation of the territory within a network.
It therefore serves to develop both a mark of recognition with the public (environmental quality), a distinction for managers (Fishermen, Nature Park, etc.) and a collective enhancement of an exceptional territory!
It is a French label, which is currently being translated and extended to European level.

In order to protect its unspoilt nature and environmental richness, the Taravu was the first Corsican river to receive this distinction in February 2017: a level 2 “Wild Rivers Site” label. Since then, various operations have been carried out to raise awareness among the population of the catchment area of the challenges of restoring water quality, but also to highlight the attachment of the inhabitants to the protection of their river. To reinforce these actions, the film “Taravo: a Heritage Valley” and various natural site developments have been produced, making this river a territory with an attractiveness for sustainable development.