Paradise lies at the end of a long trail full of potholes so deep they look like the area has been shelled. To the left lies a vast expanse of bright white, reminiscent of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, in the United States. On the right, flamingos fly over streaks of pink and red water. At the heart of this breathtaking landscape is a place that can only be reached by insiders – no signs point the way, no tour buses come by.
This place has appeared on maps of the Camargue since the middle of the 18th century: Beauduc, in the territory of Arles, in Bouches-du-Rhône, southern France. On the edge of the sandy beach, regulars camp out in their caravans and kitesurfing enthusiasts from all over Europe pitch their tents, in spite of the strong winds.
A no-entry sign blocks access to the road that leads to the village, which is made up of 77 cabins – from shacks cobbled together with various materials to pretty little wooden houses, and even a villa worthy of a home decor magazine.
Most of the houses are grouped together, forming a large circle with the central square in the middle. Before them, the sea stretches as far as the eye can see. There are no shops, streets, billboards or street lights. No tarmac, no running water, no sewers or wi-fi. There's barely one bar of cell service, if you're lucky. Electricity is produced by solar panels and individual wind turbines. Rainwater is collected in cisterns – as are the sewage, garbage, and even the smallest pieces of wood or sheets of metal that can be salvaged for DIY.
The closest store is a 45-minute drive away. The village is a model of environmentalism and energy sufficiency. Jokingly, some call the people who live there Homo sapiens beauducus. But today, it seems this species is under threat of extinction.
Like so many other seaside places, the village is seeing its future written in the sand. Beaches everywhere are eroding due to urban planning and sand removal, which exacerbate the natural depletion of sedimentary stocks. At the same time, the effects of global warming have led to an unstoppable rise in sea levels.
The nearby town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is already in great danger, as is that of Aigues-Mortes in the Gard, in addition to Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée), the Cap Ferret peninsula and many other French seaside resorts located along the Atlantic coast.
"I know the sea is rising everywhere and that it's going to be a disaster," said a local mayor, who wished to remain anonymous, "but I'm not going to be the one to announce it to my constituents." In Beauduc, this tiny speck of a village, the locals can no longer avoid awareness of the impending disaster.
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