THE VICTORIES OF ECOLOGY (4/6) – In 1986, an accident in the chemical plants of Sandoz caused massive pollution of the Rhine. The river was then left for dead. It was without counting on a general mobilization which knew how to reverse the trend. And bring it back to life.
It is at the bend of a verdant forest, at the crossroads of Germany, Switzerland and France, that one enters the Alsatian Petite Camargue. On the forecourt of the lock house, equipped with sand-colored clothes, a cap screwed on his head, stands Philippe Knibiely, the director of the reserve. If he is not the owner of the place, it is here a little at home. The 50-year-old has been in the business for just over three decades. This is his first job and, he hopes, his last. As he enters the island of greenery, the man advances, proudly. “The reserve has grown well”, he marvels. With good reason: since 1982, it has gone from a few hundred hectares to 904.
The vestiges of a bygone era are offered to the gaze. Rivers, waterfalls, meadows… Water is omnipresent. A flooded marsh with a meadow of water lilies evoke The nymphs of Monet. Time seems to stand still. For a few seconds, the water no longer ripples. She remains frozen. Suddenly…
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