Mare à Goriaux Managed Biological Reserve

The reserve is based around a mining-subsidence pond resulting from use of the Vicoigne pit and the Arenberg mine. It was the significance of the biocoenoses around Mare à Goriaux and its ornithological diversity which, in 1982, led to it being protected with national biological reserve classification. The site comprises a forest area, lake, helophytic and riparian plants, and a flat slag heap of over 2 km.

The reserve is based around a mining-subsidence pond resulting from use of the Vicoigne pit and the Arenberg mine. It was the significance of the biocoenoses around Mare à Goriaux and its ornithological diversity which, in 1982, led to it being protected with national biological reserve classification. The site comprises a forest area, lake, helophytic and riparian plants, and a flat slag heap of over 2 km.

Continued subsidence has gradually led to a reduction of reed beds on the surface and the loss of the site’s ornithological richness. Mare à Goriaux remains, however, with around sixty nesting species and visits by migrating birds such as the osprey, a site of superb quality, emblematic of the local territory.

The site is accessible from Mare à Goriaux car park (Raismes exit - Closes 5.30 pm in winter and 6.30 pm in summer)