In high season, the Etretat cliffs and the Alabaster Coast attract thousands of visitors daily, and nearly 1.5 million each year. The whole of the Côte d’Albâtre, which extends over 120 kilometers, has been classified in the inventory of natural monuments since 1979 because of its landscapes and its heritage interest; Certain sectors are also classified Natura 2000. From the needle to the man, the coastline includes several sites difficult to access: in normal times, access to the hole-to-man is already prohibited, but each year tourists brave the prohibition and find themselves surprised by the tide. This was the case on May 1 when three walkers had to be rescued. The cliffs also constitute a site conducive to accidents, either because walkers fall from the summit, or because they venture too close to the foot of the cliffs where the blocks of chalk fall: according to the town hall, there is “Between two and three deaths per year”without counting suicides – a dozen a year.
The mayor of Étretat therefore made a municipal decree on April 28, restricting access to the cliffs and beaches, and even prohibiting certain sectors. The cliffs have been undergoing erosion and the effects of climate change for several years: in December 2021 and January 2022, several large blocks of chalk had detached the cliffs. Consisting with chalk and debris from sedimented marine organizations, the cliffs of the Albatese coast formed 70 to 100 million years ago, following an uprising from the sea floor. Sites like the needle are much more recent and date from “2,000 to 5,000 years” According to local geologists, which underline the role of erosion in the transformation of the landscape.
In addition to the wind, the cliffs are sensitive to the runoff which infiltrate the cracks and weaken the chalk. If natural erosion is well known, the decline in the coastline has accelerated in recent years, reaching almost 20 cm per year. The mayor indicates, for example, that certain sectors of the path are mined by invisible holes hidden behind the groves and bushes, in the places where chalk is already weakened. Hence the rules displayed throughout the trails, which recommend that they do not approach the edge and avoid walking less than five meters from the foot of the cliffs.
Faced with the acceleration of erosion and the growing tourist influx, the thirteen municipalities of the Côte d’Albâtre have initiated since 2013 a labeling project “Large site of France” Validated in 2019 by the Ministry of Ecological Transition. This project aims at “Preserve the quality of landscapes, enhance the common heritage and promote sustainable tourism”. It provides in particular a simplification of the procedures for farmers whose land is included in the area – which covers a larger surface than the only coast – and actions for “Value landscape identity” sites.
