Finistère, France

Finistère is Brittany’s most westerly department and shares its borders with theCôtes-d’Armor and Morbihan departments. Its préfecture (administrative town of the area) is Quimper and sub-prefectures are Brest, Châteaulin and Morlaix. This department is wide of 6,733 square kilometres and has 840,600 inhabitants (Bretons) in total. Due to its situation along the English Channel (north) and the Atlantic Ocean (south), many things involve the sea (numerous fishermen and sailors, traditions referring to the sea, etc.). The nature is gorgeous in the Finistere department, as in the whole Brittany region. You will find numerous fine sandy beaches as well as parks or nature reserves.

Overview

Brittany is a very sought-after region amongst Brits and the Finistere department is not an exception to the rule. The name “Finistère” was chosen due to the department’s geographical location - at the land’s end - and comes from the Latin language (Finis Terrae). Breton people have a particular culture. Even if Finistere belongs to France, they still keep their own identity and retain their own traditions (dances, songs, gastronomy). Of course Brittany does not benefit from a very warm climate like the Languedoc or Provence regions, but the wonderful landscapes will easily make you forget this drawback! Finistere is an authentic and original department that you will enjoy discovering.

Finistere Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Property prices in the Brittany region are neither the highest nor the lowest ones amongst all the French regions. Housing prices in Brittany are still under the national average for this region. Of course if you want to buy a property along the coast, it will be more expensive than in the inland.

Buying a property in Finistere is really accessible: it costs about €1,757/ square metre. You will pay around €8.66 / square metre / month to rent a house or apartment. Most properties in the Finistere department are detached houses (73%) and 47% of the accommodation are 5-room properties or more.

The Finistere department is a great place to look for bargains! If you like renovating houses, you will be pleased in this department as it is easy to find cheap ancient houses to renovate. We advise you to pay attention to the location where you buy a property, as some villages or towns are not well-linked to the main Breton towns.

To get updated info about housing prices in the Dordogne, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Finistere

The Brittany region does not have the greatest climate of France, but has many other assets on offer: an outstanding nature, an interesting cultural heritage, etc.

·         Strolls and tours: thanks to more than 5,000km of marked-out tracks, you will be able to discover Finistere’s heritage by foot, car, riding a horse or a bike, etc. Just make your choice!

·         Sights: the Batz and Ouessant islands are located just a few miles away from the Finistere department. Batz - at the north of the department, close to Roscoff - is only 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. The îles d’Ouessant et de Batz are very calm areas where nature has been preserved. The great climate, sandy coves, as well as the greenery and rocky cliffs make of these islands the perfect places to go if you want to relax and be in harmony with the nature.

·         Cultural heritage: you will find plenty of museums, castles, lighthouses and parks in the Finistere department. These monuments or areas will allow you to discover the history of this particular zone (to avoid repetition) - where the sea has an essential role. We advise you Daoulas’ abbey, the Domaine de Trévarez(Trévarez’s field), Batz’s and Ouessant’s lighthouses, etc.

·         Fauna and flora: Finistere’s natural heritage is very rich and worth a visit. The department has more than 2,500 hectares of natural areas, including dunes, forests, archeological sites, etc. The Armorique Regional Natural Park and thePointe du Raz are the most famous ones. There are also Aquariums and wildlife parks for instance.

·         Breton lifestyle: as a part of Brittany, the Finistere department is deeply influenced by the regional culture. Let’s discover Breton beautiful dances, songs, games and gastronomy (crêpes, galettes - buckwheat pancakes - cider, seafood dishes, etc.). The locals are renowned for being very welcoming and will be glad to explain you their special culture.

Local Property Market: 5 Popular Towns

·         Brest property: rapidly rebuilt after World War II, Brest lost some of its historical legacy as it was destroyed. But this town has still places of interest, such as – for instance – a castle nowadays hosting a museum, an annual festival about Breton culture and a massive drawbridge (Pont de Recouvrance).

·         Concarneau property: both modern and traditional styles coexist in this town. The Ville Close (medieval town) - located on an island in the harbour - is very active thanks to its touristy assets. Fishing has an essential role in Concarneau as its harbour is one of the biggest of France.

·         Morlaix property: there is a great viaduc in Morlaix, as well as several interesting museums and a botanical garden. The bay is really beautiful, the château du taureau is located on a small island in this bay.

·         Quimper property: Finistere’s major administrative town is very pretty. You will find there many very interesting monuments dating from the Middle Ages. In the medieval town (Vieux Quimper), there are numerous shops, restaurants and half-timbered houses. Singers and bagpipers often make shows in the evening for the greatest delight of the tourists.

·         Roscoff property: with a strategic location along the coast in the north of the Finistere department, Roscoff is famous for its ferry port. But there are also an exotic garden, a beautiful church and an Aquarium for instance.

Property Styles and Architecture in Finistere

·         Breton chaumières: these typical properties are very sought-after as they have a strong character. The main features of a chaumiere are the following ones: a thatched (made up of wheat, rye or reeds) and sloping roof, narrow rooms, as well as a long and rectangular shape. Local materials - such as stones, wood and clay - were used to built these Breton chaumières.

·         Longère houses: these properties are typical of Brittany’s rural architecture. From these Longere houses, we often have an outstanding view on the Breton countryside. Of a rectangular shape, its rear facing the dominant winds, built in granite and with thatched or slated roofs, the Breton longere house can be found almost everywhere in the Brittany region, but also in Normandy and Aquitaine.

·         Coastal houses: especially located in northern Brittany and in the Finistere department, these properties have very small windows and very few openings. Often cut in two parts, the windows of such a house evoke embrasures. Most of them are surrounded with special mouldings. The doors of the coastal houses are low and narrow.

Source: http://www.french-property.com/property/bretagne/finistere/insight/

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Fernando De Noronha, Brazil

Fernando de Noronha (Portuguese pronunciation: [feʁˈnɐ̃du d(ʒ)ɨ noˈɾoɲɐ]) is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, 354 km (220 mi) offshore from the Brazilian coast. The archipelago got its name from the Portuguese merchant Fernão de Loronha, to whom it was given by the Portuguese crown for services rendered regarding wood imported from Brazil. The main island has an area of 18.4 square kilometres (7.1 sq mi) and had a population estimated at 2,718 in 2012. The area is a specialmunicipality (distrito estadual) of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco (despite being closer to the state of Rio Grande do Norte), with about 70% established in 1988 as a national maritime park.

In 2001 UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site because of the importance of its environment. Its timezone is UTC-02:00 all year around. The local population and travellers can get to Noronha by plane or cruise from Recife^[3] (545 km). An environmental preservation fee is charged from tourists upon arrival by Ibama (Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources).

The islands of this archipelago are the visible parts of a range of submerged mountains. It consists of 21 islands, islets and rocks of volcanic origin. The main island has an area of 18 km² (6.9 sq mi), being 10 km (6.2 mi) long and 3.5 km (2.2 mi) wide at its maximum. The base of this enormous volcanic formation is 756 metres (2,480 ft) below the surface. The main island, from which the group gets its name, makes up 91% of the total area; the islands of Rata, Sela Gineta, Cabeluda and São José, together with the islets of Leão and Viúva make up the rest. The central upland of the main island is called the Quixaba.

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Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or wildlife (fish, coral, sea shells, etc.) is strictly regulated, and commercial shipping traffic must stick to certain specific defined shipping routes that avoid the most sensitive areas of the park. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest cluster of corals and other exotic marine life.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is the administrator of the park. It issues permits for various forms of use of the marine park, and monitors usage in the park to ensure compliance with rules and regulations associated with the park. GBRMPA is funded by Commonwealth Government appropriations, which include an environmental management charge levied on the permit-holders' passengers. Currently this is A$5.50 per day per passenger (to a maximum of $16.50 per trip).

The park lies east of the mainland coast of Queensland, starting in the north at Cape York. Its northern boundary is the circle of latitude 10°41'S (running east up to the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef at 145º19'33"E), thereby encompassing those few uninhabited Torres Strait Islands that are east of Cape York, south of 10°41'S and north of 11°00'S. The largest of those island are Albany Island (5.9 km² or 2.3 sq mi), Turtle Head Island 12.8 km² or 4.9 sq mi and Trochus Island 2.2 km² or 0.85 sq mi. Further islands are Mai Island 0.25 km² or 0.097 sq mi, Bush Island 0.2 km² or 0.077 sq mi, Tree Islet 0.01 km² or 0.0039 sq mi, Brewis Island 0.05 km² or 0.019 sq mi, and a few unnamed islets.

History

In 1975, the Government of Australia enacted the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, which created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and defined what acts were prohibited on the Reef. The Australian Government also has recognised the ecological significance of this Park by its inclusion in the nation's Biodiversity Action Plan. The Government of Australia manages the reef through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and in partnership with the Government of Queensland, to ensure that it is widely understood and used in a sustainable manner. A combination of zoning, management plans, permits, education and incentives (such as eco-tourism certification) is used in the effort to conserve the Great Barrier Reef.

As many species of the Great Barrier Reef are migratory, many international, national, and interstate conventions or pieces of legislation must be taken into account when strategies for conservation are made.

Some international conventions that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park must follow are: the Bonn Convention, Ramsar Site (for the Bowling Green Bay National Park site),CITES, JAMBA and CAMBA. Some national legislation that the Park must follow are: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity, Australia’s Oceans Policy, National Strategy for the Conservation of Australian Species and Communities Threatened with Extinction. Some state legislation that the Park must follow are: Nature Conservation Act 1992, Marine Parks Act 1982, Fisheries Act 1994, Queensland Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 1994.

For example, the Queensland Government has enacted several plans attempting to regulate fishing. The East Coast Trawl Management Plan 1999 aimed to regulate trawling through limiting the times when trawling is permitted and restricting gear used. The Fisheries (Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery) Management Plan 2003 aimed at reducing the annual commercial catch to 1996 levels, disallowing fishing when the fish are spawning and increasing the minimum legal size of fish.

The Great Barrier Reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. Up until 1999, there were four main zones in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They were the "Far Northern", "Cairns", "Central" and "Mackay/Capricorn" sections. These zoning sections were created between 1983–1987. Another section, the "Gumoo Woojabuddee" section was declared in 1998. Each section had its own zoning plan. The Great Barrier Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 superseded all previous zoning plans, coming into effect on 1 July 2004.

In July 2004, a new zoning plan was brought into effect for the entire Marine Park, and has been widely acclaimed as a new global benchmark for the conservation of marine ecosystems. The rezoning was based on the application of systematic conservation planning techniques, using the MARXAN software. On 1 July 2004 the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park became the largest protected sea area in the world when the Australian Government increased the areas protected from extractive activities (such as fishing) from 4.6% to 33.3% of the park. As of 2006, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument is the largest protected marine area in the world. The management committee draws inspiration from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's management strategies.

The current method of zoning is called the "Representative Areas Program", which chooses "typical" areas of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They can then be protected in "Green Zones" (no-take zones). The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area has been divided into 70 bioregions, of which 30 are reef bioregions,  and 40 are non-reef bioregions.

In 2006, a review was undertaken of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. Some recommendations of the review are that there should be no further zoning plan changes until 2013, and that every five years, a peer-reviewed Outlook Report should be published, examining the health of the Great Barrier Reef, the management of the Reef, and environmental pressures.

In early 2007, GBRMPA was one of three nominees for the Destination Award in the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.

On 3 April 2010, The Shen Neng 1, a Chinese ship carrying 950 tonnes of oil, ran aground, causing the 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill.

The week before 21 July 2013, on the second day of the biennial joint training exercise Talisman Saber, two American AV-8B Harrier fighter jets launched from aircraft carrierUSS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) dropped four bombs, weighing a total 1.8 metric tons (4,000 pounds), into more than 50 metres (164 ft) of water. None exploded and no coral was damaged.

In June 2014, GBRMPA confirmed five of its directors had taken voluntary redundancies including the director of heritage conservation, the director of policy and governance and the director of coastal ecosystems and water quality. The round of redundancies was offered in order to achieve cost savings.

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Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst, Hungary and Slovakia

The variety of formations and the fact that they are concentrated in a restricted area means that the 712 caves currently identified make up a typical temperate-zone karstic system. Because they display an extremely rare combination of tropical and glacial climatic effects, they make it possible to study geological history over tens of millions of years.

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis 

The Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst are outstanding for the large number of complex, diverse and relatively intact caves concentrated into a relatively small area. Located at the north-eastern border of Hungary and the south-eastern border of Slovakia, this exceptional group of 712 caves, recorded at time of inscription, lies under a protected area of 56,651 ha and a larger buffer zone. Today more than 1000 caves are known. Karst processes have produced a rich diversity of structures and habitats that are important from a biological, geological and paleontological point of view. While the karst continues to develop in mountains of medium height and under temperate climate conditions, sediments and fossil landforms provide ample evidence of Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary subtropical and tropical climatic conditions as well as periglacial denudational activity during the Quaternary. Shaped over tens of millions of years, the area provides an excellent demonstration of karst formation during both tropical and glacial climates, which is very unusual and probably better documented here than anywhere else in the world.

The most significant cave system in the property is that of Baradla-Domica, a cross-border network richly decorated with stalagmites and stalactites, which is an important active stream cave in the temperate climatic zone and a Ramsar site. Also worth mentioning is the Dobsina Ice Cave, one of the most beautiful in the world. Among the ice-filled caves in the property, the Silica Ice Cave is located at the lowest latitude within the temperate climatic zone. The close proximity of many different types of caves of diverse morphology, including vadose and epiphreatic stream caves, vertical shafts and hypogenic or mixing corrosion caves, as well as important archaeological remains, makes the property an outstanding subterranean museum. Its ecosystems provide habitat for more than 500 troglobiont or troglophil species, including some which are endemic. The interactions between geological karst processes occurring on the surface with those occurring beneath make this area a natural field laboratory.

Criteria (viii): The property Caves of Aggtelek and Slovak Karst, while typical of many karst localities in Europe, is distinctive in its great number (with 712 recorded at time of inscription) of different types of caves found in a concentrated area. Geological processes causing karst features to be buried by sediment and then later reactivated or exhumed provide evidence pertaining to the geologic history of the last tens of millions of years. Relicts of pre-Pleistocene karst (i.e. more than about 2 million years old) are very distinct in the area, and many of them show evidence for sub-tropical and tropical climate forms. These include rounded hills that are relicts of tropical karst later modified by Pleistocene periglacial weathering. This suite of paleokarst features, showing a combination of both tropical and glacial climates, is very unusual and is probably better documented in the Slovak Karst than anywhere else in the world.

Integrity

More than 99% of the Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst is preserved in its original natural condition and is well protected. The other 1% has been substantially modified as “show-caves” to allow human use, which includes 300,000 visitors annually. All of the caves are State-owned and the land above them has protected status. The cave system is exceptionally sensitive to environmental changes, including agricultural pollution, deforestation and soil erosion. Maintenance of the integrity of active geological and hydrological processes (karst formation and the development or evolution of stalagmites and stalactites) requires integrated management of the entire water catchment area.

Protection and management requirements

All of the caves are State-owned and their protection is guaranteed by the Act no. LIII. 1996 on nature protection in Hungary and by the Slovak Constitution no. 90/2001, and the Act of Nature Protection and Landscape no. 543/2002 in Slovakia, irrespective of ownership or protection status of the surface areas. However, in both countries most of the surface area of the property has National Park designation. Aggtelek Karst is administered by the Aggtelek National Park Directorate and the Slovak Karst is managed by the Slovak Karst National Park Directorate (surface) and Slovak Caves Administration (caves). These administrative bodies carry out joint projects including research, protection and monitoring.

The main protection and management requirement is to ensure strict control over surface activities in order to avoid agricultural pollution, deforestation and soil erosion that may affect the quality and quantity of water infiltrating the karst. The property needs to be monitored to ensure that the water quality in the catchment area of the caves is appropriate (including controlling the use of agricultural chemicals) and to prevent large-scale soil erosion and the infiltration of humus and alluvial soil into the caves. This means that the establishment of buffer zones where appropriate, the completion of sewage systems, and the elimination of illegal garbage disposal and building debris in the surrounding settlements are necessary.

Levels of sustainable tourism need to be determined with the involvement of local communities, and monitoring systems need to be completed and implemented. Further research and exploration is needed with regard to the interconnection of the karst cave system. Long-term tasks are related to the need to mitigate impacts caused by climate change, such as extreme changes in water levels. The transboundary property requires a harmonised and coordinated management approach in which the management plan is regularly reviewed. 

Long Description

The Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst lie over a total area of 55,800 ha and topographically comprise limestone plateaus dissected by deep river valleys. The territory is characterized by a fully developed karst landscape, of which dolines are the most typical surface landform. These have developed through solution and are, on average, 100 m wide and 20 m deep. Other surface phenomena include sinkholes and karren fields. This is the most extensively explored karst area in Europe, and a total of 712 caves have so far been identified. Many of the younger caves which have formed at the plateau edges, such as Krasnchorska and Gombasecka, occur on several levels and contain dripstone decorations. The most notable of these is the Baradla-Domica cave system which is 21 km long and connects Hungary with Slovakia. These caves are also noted for having the world's highest stalagmite, aragonite and sinter formations and an ice filled abyss, which considering the territory's height above sea level, is a unique phenomenon for central Europe. All these karst landforms are the result of long-term geomorphologic processes typical of this temperate climatic zone.

Hydrological conditions are characterized by a lack of surface streams, except between mountain basins, and the complex circulation of underground water. The flora is representative of both Pannonian and Carpathian elements. A unique biotope arises where two floral sectors overlap, and consequently many rare endemics can be found throughout the territory. Approximately 70% of the territory consists of deciduous woodland dominated by hornbeam and oak.

The fauna includes wolf, lynx, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, wild cat and badger. Nesting bird species include: rock bunting, black stork, corncrake, imperial eagle, dipper, Ural owl, saker falcon, short-toed eagle, honey buzzard. Of particular scientific interest are the cave and subterranean water fauna. Beetles and other insects are abundant. Cave worms are often found in sand and clay deposits whereas molluscs are associated with underground streams, and crustaceans occur including an endemic species of primitive carb. A total of 21 bat species have been identified in the Slovak Karst.

The caves themselves are of moderate extent and are not as long, deep or decorated as are other world caves. A significant aspect of the area is that it has undergone a great deal of fossilization and later exhumation of landscape features and subsurface groundwater routes. In other words, many karst features, after having formed, were buried by later sediment and then later reactivated or exhumed by erosional removal of the sediment. The resulting karst features contain a great deal of evidence pertaining to the geological history of the last several millions of years. The present karst landscape has been developing intermittently since the late Cretaceous period.

There is one sizeable settlement (Silica) and two hamlets within the Slovak protected area and two villages (Aggtelek and Josvaf with approximately 1,100 inhabitants) inside the Aggtelek National Park's boundaries. There is a serious pollution problem which is contaminating cave waters and threatening the park's ecosystem. This arises from the increased use of pesticides and fertilizers in the surrounding areas and from tourist's vehicles and nearby industry.

Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/725

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