The restoration of the Sélune river continuum after the dams were demolished will allow colonization of the upper reaches of the basin, which were previously inaccessible to eels. Before the demolition, two main tributaries were used by amphihaline fish for reproduction, in addition to the main river: the Beuvron and the Oir. The eel population of the Sélune was monitored in the pre-demolition phase by abundance index campaigns carried out in 2013, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023 on a network of stations covering the entire Sélune river system. These data make it possible to estimate changes in eel abundance along the Sélune and its tributaries and their size structure before and after the destruction of the dams. The inventory is carried out in early September, every other year, using electric fishing equipment and landing nets. Thirty fishing points are carried out for a minimum of 30 seconds each. A fishing station covers approximately 100 meters of river. All eels caught are anesthetized and undergo biometric measurements (weight, length, horizontal and vertical eye diameter, determination of yellow or silver stage). All eels are released directly at the fishing site. This layer contains individual data on the eels caught.

The restoration of the Sélune river continuum after the dams were demolished will allow colonization of the upper reaches of the basin, which were previously inaccessible to eels. Before the demolition, two main tributaries were used by amphihaline fish for reproduction, in addition to the main river: the Beuvron and the Oir. The eel population of the Sélune was monitored in the pre-demolition phase by abundance index campaigns carried out in 2013, 2015, 2019, and then every year since 2021, on a network of stations covering the entire Sélune river system. These data make it possible to estimate changes in eel abundance along the Sélune and its tributaries and their size structure before and after the destruction of the dams. The inventory is carried out in early September, every other year, then every year since 2021, using electric fishing equipment and landing nets. Thirty fishing points are carried out for a minimum of 30 seconds. A fishing station covers approximately 100 meters of river. All eels caught are anesthetized and undergo biometric measurements (weight, length, horizontal and vertical eye diameter, determination of yellow or silver stage). All eels are released directly at the fishing site. This sheet refers to two layers, one showing only the study areas and their location, and the other specifying the concept of capture sessions.

Dams cause significant changes to the hydrological regime, water temperature, and biological and biogeochemical flows. This is the case for the Vezins and La Roche qui Boit dams, located on the main course of the Sélune River, which resulted in the existence of two reservoirs between 1919 and 2022 for La Roche qui Boit and between 1932 and 2019 for Vezins. Since the end of the last emptying of the La Roche qui Boit dam at the end of 2022, these two lakes no longer exist in the valley landscape. This layer represents the two reservoirs as they were referenced in 2017, i.e. before the start of the dismantling work on the two hydroelectric dams on the Sélune. Among the attribute data associated with these two entities, the length is based on a calculation made by the Sélune project team using the reference points established across the entire watershed (and therefore across the entire course of the Sélune) and their knowledge of the areas of influence of the lakes/natural watercourse.

The opening of the dams will have a considerable impact on the functioning of trout populations in the Sélune. Restoring the river's ecological continuity will modify population flows, allowing amphihaline sea trout to migrate further upstream, and native trout to move upstream and downstream of the dams. The trout population is monitored at a network of stations covering the entire Sélune basin, using an abundance index carried out every 2 years. Field campaigns follow the Vigitruite® fishing protocol, developed at INRAE for use throughout France. This index of abundance, related to the surface area of favorable habitats on the watercourse, makes it possible to evaluate the quantity of trout present in the river, resulting from natural reproduction in previous years. Field campaigns are carried out by INRAE and the Fédération d'Ille-et-Vilaine pour la Pêche et la Protection du Milieu Aquatique (FDAAPPMA35). This layer shows the locations of these study sectors by year of study : 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 et 2025.

The spawning grounds of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are located within the perimeter of the Sélune Observatory. As this species is migratory, its colonisation of the Sélune river and its tributaries will probably be influenced by the removal of the Sélune dams. The spawning grounds are characterised by a depression accompanied by a sediment ejection dome immediately downstream. The stones returned to the dome are lighter, making the nests easily visible and identifiable for up to several weeks after spawning. This data is available for the years 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Sélune Observatory's activity reports (see attached links) give details of the prospecting conditions.

In partnership with ANR Reppaval, the Syndicat Mixte du bassin de la Sélune has begun implementing a photographic observatory of the landscapes of the Sélune basin. This is a photographic itinerary consisting of viewpoints spread across the entire territory, where photographs will be taken regularly. The aim is to monitor changes in the landscape, particularly in relation to the Sélune restoration project. The layer shows the location of the sites on the photographic itinerary that are directly affected by the Sélune restoration work: lakes and dams.

In 2020, scientific plots were set up, marked out on the ground with colored stakes. These plots are intended to facilitate scientific monitoring, particularly of renaturation. These plots represent privileged areas for scientists, where no sediment or vegetation disturbance is planned until the end of the Sélune program.

The removal of the dams on the Sélune River is the subject of a scientific program launched in 2012, in which environmental parameters are monitored in order to provide real feedback on this restoration operation. In 2019, a data observatory was set up to collect and process these parameters (biotic and abiotic). The data acquired from 2012 and at least until 2027 will be centralized through an information system (IS) called SISelune. SISelune aims to assist scientists associated with the Sélune program and make the data accessible to all. This layer shows the study area, based on hydrographic sub-basins for the continental part and the transitional water body for the Bay of Mont St-Michel.

The study of riparian vegetation is based on the observation of natural plant communities spontaneously colonizing newly exposed areas following the erasure of the Vezins and La-Roche-Qui-Boit dams. The vegetation monitoring system includes two complementary approaches: i) a vegetation sampling method based on floristic surveys (composition & structure) carried out within a series of quadrats positioned along a transect ii) a monitoring of the vegetation units (UV) observed within the valley This dataset specifically concerns the monitoring of the quadrats used in the vegetation sampling method, only for data from the Sélune Observatory (2021-2026) The sampling monitoring system is based on measurements distributed at different points in space (longitudinally and laterally). It aims to identify the diversity of flora and vegetation and describe the structure of emerging formations and plant communities within the neo-valley. Implemented annually (sub-annual only for 2021, before dismantling), this monitoring aims to identify and characterize the evolution trajectories of these vegetation over time. The vegetation sampling protocol is implemented at several stations located along the course of the Sélune and at the mouth of several tributaries located in the right-of-way of the two former reservoirs. The sample of stations is supplemented by a batch of stations positioned outside the right-of-way of the two former reservoirs, downstream and upstream, which constitute so-called "reference" stations. For each station, a transect is established perpendicular to the channel, from the bank to a reference point located at the level of the former water reservoir (i.e. 60m NGF for Vezins & 28.5m NGF for LRQB). Along this transect, 25m2 (5mx5m) quadrats are positioned according to previously set distance intervals. These quadrats (named Q1 to Q1+n) constitute the elementary unit within which abiotic (slope, texture...) and biotic (composition, structure) parameters are characterized and evaluated. The number of quadrats sampled per station varies depending on the width of the exposed bank (or transect length). It is completed by a reference quadrat, located beyond this maximum value (named Q0). The inventory of vascular flora, i.e. herbaceous and woody plant species within the quadrats, aims to be exhaustive and to identify them up to the specific or even sub-specific rank. This layer gives, for each monitoring quadrat of vegetation sampling from 2021 to 2026, the following information: – Quadrat information (id, code, specific number, distance to station reference point) – Campaign information (id, code, date, campaign), – Station information (code, name, protocol applied, number of quadrats, code for the associated Sélune reference point and, as a result: location on the catchment area, distance to sea, distance to source and watercourse) – Information on the transect by campaign (number and length, X, Y, LON coordinates, LAT of reference points "NGF" and end point "rive") – "Point" geometry corresponding to the reference point of the transect or station

Microbial communities play a major role in the functioning of ecosystems: they are at the base of the food chain (primary production) and participate in the degradation of organic matter. These communities are also known to respond rapidly to environmental changes. Like macro-invertebrates, they can be used as ecological indicators. Benthic diatoms are the main photosynthetic organisms in this biological community. The relative abundance of the various species is used to calculate an environmental quality index (EQI). Major differences in communities between the upstream and downstream zones were observed when the dams were in place. These differences will change once the dams are removed. As part of the Sélune observatory, pilot stations have been set up along the main course of the Sélune, distributed from upstream to downstream of the hydroelectric dams. Three stations are located in the former reservoirs of the dams, while the other two, known as the reference stations, are outside the area of influence of the former dams (one downstream and the other upstream). At these stations, aquatic biocenoses (including benthic macroinvertebrates, biofilms, macrophytes, etc.) are monitored. Since September 2014, the stations are ideally sampled every month from April to October (7 annual surveys) using artificial substrates (glass slides placed in the water). In addition to the diatom survey (floristic list, IBD calculation), the chlorophyll-a concentration is measured. This layer shows the location of the study sectors used to monitor photosynthetic biofilms and the campaigns carried out.