Preserving the Coubre Lighthouse: Strategies to Combat Erosion and Save a Historic Landmark

Preserving the Coubre Lighthouse: Strategies to Combat Erosion and Save a Historic Landmark

Petitions are circulating to preserve the Coubre lighthouse in La Tremblade, with over 4,300 signatures collected. Photographer Cédric Robert advocates for a stone embankment to combat coastal erosion threatening the structure, which is now alarmingly close to the ocean. Experts warn of the urgency for intervention, considering relocation as a potential solution, though it’s complicated and costly. The lighthouse’s historical and architectural significance, alongside its status as a tourist attraction, fuels community passion for its preservation.

Petitions and Community Efforts to Save the Coubre Lighthouse

The alarming news about the potential destruction of the Coubre lighthouse in La Tremblade has sparked a wave of online petitions following an article published in *Le Littoral* on January 16. Photographer Cédric Robert, who spearheaded one of the most prominent petitions, stated, *“We would like to find solutions and get the State to move to find funding so that we can save our jewel of Charente-Maritime.”* His petition has already garnered over 3,000 signatures, alongside an additional 1,300 from various other petitions. This overwhelming response highlights the deep connection the community feels toward this iconic structure, with many arguing that the natural erosion of the coastline should not justify its disappearance.

Proposed Solutions and the Urgency of Action

To combat the erosion threatening the lighthouse, Cédric Robert proposes the installation of a stone embankment, suggesting a length of approximately 200 to 300 meters. He passionately compares the Coubre lighthouse to the Eiffel Tower, emphasizing its significance as a tourist attraction, which drew over 70,000 visitors in 2023, and its architectural ties to Gustave Eiffel himself, who designed its impressive 300-step spiral staircase. Local residents express their dismay at the abrupt announcement regarding the lighthouse’s dismantling, lamenting the loss of such an important heritage site. One resident lamented, *“It breaks my heart a bit that such a monument is disappearing, knowing that it took a tremendous amount of time to build it.”*

From the height of the lighthouse, the impact of coastal retreat is starkly visible. Originally constructed 1.8 kilometers from the ocean in 1904, it now stands a mere 130 meters from the encroaching waves. As the situation becomes increasingly urgent, experts warn that intervention will be essential once the lighthouse is less than 65 meters from the coastline. Options being discussed include the construction of a dike or the proposed stone embankment, particularly as previous lighthouses have succumbed to water infiltration that led to their collapse. Christophe Bleynie, who oversees the lighthouse and buoy division in La Rochelle, cautions, *“This type of rock protection would not hold in the long term. We cannot let nature carry away the structure as it did in 1907. Ecologically, that would be disastrous.”*

Another potential solution involves relocating the entire lighthouse, similar to the Gay Head lighthouse’s successful move in the United States in 2015, which was shifted 39 meters in just one week thanks to community mobilization. However, the Coubre lighthouse presents a more daunting challenge due to its size and weight, estimated to be more than ten times that of its American counterpart. The cost of such a move is projected to be between 10 to 15 million euros, significantly higher than the three million spent on the Gay Head lighthouse. Furthermore, experts warn that merely relocating the lighthouse may not be effective in the long run, as rising sea levels and increased storm activity are expected to exacerbate coastal erosion. Currently, the erosion rate stands at two meters per year, a figure that is anticipated to escalate in the near future.