Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine

What Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine does

The Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine is a French National Nature Reserve established in 1985 by ministerial decree under the French Ministry of Environment, located in Saint-Michel-en-Brenne within the Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne (Indre department, central France). It protects wetlands, meadows, woods, heathlands, and associated fauna, flora, minerals, and fossils, operating under a 10-year management plan (2019–2028). The reserve runs on a 7-person core team consisting of a Director (François Clément), a Conservateur (Thibaut Michel), three Garde-techniciens (Nicolas Gauthier, Brice Roggy, Nathan Moutardier), a Chargée de mission scientifique (Laura Beau), and an Animatrice (Cécile Danel).

The reserve's core offering consists of eight visitor sites — Etang Cistude, Etang Ricot Observatory, Etang de La Sous, Etang Purais, Etang des Essarts, Terres de Picadon, Terres de Renard (46 ha), and Etang des Fougères (23 ha, acquired 2022) — supported by accessible observatories designed for visitors with disabilities. Services include guided visits (April–September, groups of 8–10), school programs (maternelle to lycée), group activities (15–25 people), the volunteer program "Les Amis de la Réserve," and an interactive map. Distribution channels are direct and regional, with bookings routed through the Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne.

Scientific monitoring is anchored by long-term Capture-Mark-Recapture studies on the European Pond Tortoise (2,350+ individuals marked 2007–2016) and snakes (161 monitoring plates), color-banding of Whiskered Terns (1,390 birds since 2001), and the first national GPS tracking of a male Great Bittern (807 km across 71 ponds in 2016). Technology infrastructure includes the Séréna database (created by Réserves Naturelles de France) and the Obs'Indre collaborative tool (developed by Indre Nature). Core partnerships include Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne, WWF France, Réserves Naturelles de France, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS de Chizé, and Indre Nature.

Name

Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine

Legal name

Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine

Website

https://reserve-cherine.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine is a French National Nature Reserve, established 1985, that protects Brenne-region wetlands and biodiversity through habitat management, scientific monitoring, and free public education and guided-visit programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nature Conservation and Wildlife Reserve Management

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Parks & Private Nature Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Biodiversity Baseline Studies & Long-Term Monitoring Programs (EUAHAHAE), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG), National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access) (THAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation
• Wetland habitat management
• Environmental education
• Protected nature reserve
• Scientific species monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Michel-en-Brenne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Nature Reserve Funding: As a French National Nature Reserve, the organization is funded through government environmental ministry allocations, departmental preemption zones, and local partnerships. No commercial revenue model applies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine is a publicly owned French National Nature Reserve that protects wetlands, meadows, woods, and heathlands in the Brenne region. It delivers free public access to eight visitor observation sites with hides and trails, organizes guided visits and accompanied discovery programs for schools and groups, and conducts long-term species monitoring using CMR protocols, GPS tracking, and color banding methods. The reserve is funded through the French Ministry of Environment and operates under the 2019–2028 management plan.

Product overview

The Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine operates as a nature conservation and public education organization rather than a traditional technology company. Its core offering consists of visitor observation sites and hides (Etang Cistude, Etang Ricot, Etang de La Sous, Etang Purais, Etang des Essarts, Terres de Picadon, Terres de Renard, Etang des Fougères), complemented by educational and guided visit services. The reserve provides accessibility features for disabled visitors and manages an interactive map for visitor navigation. Services include school programs, group visits, volunteer participation opportunities, and scientific research collaboration. Recent expansion includes the 2022 acquisition of Etang des Fougères (23 hectares).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Etang Cistude Visitor Site Primary observation site equipped with one large and one small hide, a blind, and a boardwalk over a water lily pond. Plays an important role in public awareness and is linked to the Maison de la Nature opening schedule.
• Etang Ricot Observatory Historic elevated public hide providing panoramic view over the Ricot lake and its extensive reedbed. Features two-level access with the lower section restored for universal access including disabled visitors.
• Etang de La Sous Observatory Large observatory offering views of one of Brenne's most beautiful lakes. Attracts birds year-round including Purple Herons, Little Bittern, Great Reed Warbler, Whiskered Terns, and wintering Bitterns.
• Etang Purais Observatory Vast observatory surrounded by extensive reedbed and water lilies. Hosts one of Brenne's most important Whiskered Tern colonies, Black-necked Grebes, Red-crested Pochards, and serves as wintering grounds for Common Cranes.
• Chemin et Etang des Essarts Trail Public track crossing the reserve's meadows featuring a Black-headed Gull colony, Black-necked Grebe, various duck species, and important refuge for wintering ducks. Suitable for waders in autumn.
• Terres de Picadon Trail Wild 800-meter path through micro-habitats including gorse and heather heathland, scrubland attractive to passerines, and small ponds for amphibians and dragonflies. Partially floodable, free access.
• Terres de Renard Trail 46-hectare area with diverse habitats including ponds, marshes, woods, and scrub. Features a nearly one-kilometer trail for wildlife encounters. Formerly privately owned estate known as Domaine de La Crapaudine.
• Etang des Fougères Pond 23-hectare pond acquired in 2022, serving as the water source for Etang Purais. Hosts Bittern, Marsh Harrier, and wintering Common Cranes. Features restored reedbed, meadows, and hydraulic functionality.
• Guided Visits Guided visits organized from April to September for groups of 8–10 people maximum with compulsory reservation. For ages 8 and above. Information line: 02 54 28 11 02. Bookings through Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne.
• Accompanied Discovery Programs Custom activities including school programs (kindergarten to high school), group visits (seniors, disabled, hikers) with accessible paths, and guided visits for 15–25 people.
• School Programs Educational programs for schools including field outings, classroom interventions, and custom pedagogical cycles aligned with curriculum. Holder of 'Référentiel Qualité du Graine-Centre' label enabling 'Aires Terrestres Educatives' partnerships.
• Volunteer Program (Les Amis de la Réserve) Volunteer program inviting people to contribute time and skills for habitat management, species monitoring, and event participation. Includes mini-training sessions and dedicated discovery time.
• Interactive Visitor Map Interactive online map showing visitor sites, public observatories, accessible facilities, parking areas, and the Maison de la Nature location across the reserve.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Parc Naturel Régional de la BrennecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Collaboration on visitor reservations (02 54 28 12 13), co-publication of the annual 'Brenne Nature' calendar of nature animations, and joint management of water levels and habitat restoration projects.
• WWF FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partner featured on WWF France projects page describing the reserve as a 'sentinel of climate changes.' 360-degree video production showcasing the reserve's landscapes.
• Domaine de La CrapaudineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a permanent partner of the reserve, details not specified in available content.
• CNRS de ChizéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on the impact of contaminants on Viperine Snake (Natrix maura) physiology and ecology at national level. Reserve serves as representative of low-contamination environment.
• Association des Chasseurs à l'Arc Berry-BrenneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWild boar management partnership since winter 2003, conducting scaring and population regulation operations on the reserve.
• Réserves Naturelles de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of nature reserves. Chérine contributes data to and shares information with this network, using Séréna database software created by the network.
• Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerData sharing under supervision of MNHN through Réserves Naturelles de France network. Bird banding numbers attributed exclusively by the museum.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB): The French national biodiversity agency that oversees and co-funds nature reserves including Chérine; comparable as the principal government incumbent setting conservation policy, funding frameworks, and species-protection regulation that govern the reserve's operations.
• WWF France: Strategic partner of Chérine that features it as a climate-change sentinel; comparable as a broad environmental incumbent operating across conservation, communication, and funding — but at national scale rather than single-site.
• Parc National des Cévennes: A French national park with similar biodiversity-monitoring, public-education, and habitat-management functions, though at larger scale and with broader authority; useful as a regional-incumbent comparable for conservation funding and visitor programs.

Direct peers

• Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne: The regional park in which Chérine is geographically embedded; co-publishes the annual 'Brenne Nature' calendar, manages visitor reservations, and jointly coordinates habitat and water-level management — making it the most directly comparable operating peer.
• Indre Nature: Local departmental association that co-developed the Obs'Indre citizen-science platform used by Chérine; directly comparable as a same-territory peer combining wildlife observation, public engagement, and volunteer mobilization.
• Réserve naturelle nationale du Val d'Allier: Another French National Nature Reserve under the same regulatory framework as Chérine; comparable because it shares identical legal status, ministry oversight, scientific monitoring programs, and public-access mission in a different French region.
• Conservatoire d'espaces naturels de la région Centre-Val de Loire: A regional conservatoire managing natural sites in the same Centre-Val de Loire region as Chérine, with overlapping conservation mission, habitat management, public engagement, and species-monitoring activities.
• LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux): France's leading bird-conservation NGO, directly comparable to Chérine's bird-monitoring work (Whiskered Tern banding, Bittern GPS tracking) and overlapping on wetland habitat management and education programs.
• Réserves Naturelles de France: The national federation of French nature reserves that operates the Séréna database used by Chérine; comparable because it sets standards, aggregates data, and channels collective funding and policy advocacy across the same peer network.

Others

• Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN): National natural-history institution that receives Chérine's monitoring data and grants exclusive bird-banding authorizations; not a direct operational peer but the central scientific counterpart in the French conservation data ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/R%C3%A9serve-Naturelle-Nationale-de-Ch%C3%A9rine-1720346738181018
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reserve-naturelle-de-cherine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Réserve naturelle nationale de Chérine