Valleys of Martin Moulin and Ruisseau de la Planchette

Initially, this site of the Plateau des Tailles included some relics of abandoned wet meadows located in the middle part of the largely forested Martin-Moulin valley. The perimeter was then significantly enlarged based on various nature conservation issues. It now extends over nearly seven kilometers, between the villages of Chabrehez to the north and Achouffe to the south, including the parcels (6.8 ha) that constitute the nature reserve managed by the non-profit organization Natagora, recently approved by the Walloon Region. The site also includes the downstream section of the Ruisseau de la Planchette valley, a left bank tributary of the Martin-Moulin. Along these two waterways, the habitats are varied and the natural wealth is abundant, especially in the wet meadows with bistort where two specialized day-flying butterflies live, the bistort fritillary (Boloria eunomia) and the bistort copper (Lycaena helle), alongside other rare or threatened species, such as the heath fritillary (Melitaea athalia) which thrives on the shrubs-covered slopes but regularly visits the well-flowered alluvial areas. The entire sector is very welcoming for avifauna consisting of several prestigious species such as the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the black stork (Ciconia nigra). Since autumn 1998, the site has been the theater of the first clandestine releases of European beaver (Castor fiber) in Wallonia and is currently largely occupied by this building species which has a significant impact on alluvial forest environments and the flow regime of waterways.

Public access: Unknown
Type: Site of Great Biological Interest (SGIB)

La biodiversité en Wallonie