The town of Seltz is located in Bas-Rhin, in the northern part of the French part of the Rhin supérieur/Oberrhein cross-border Ramsar Site. This town of over 3,000 inhabitants is a veritable jewel of greenery, part of the Ried Nord or Petit Ried, a region of wet meadows and floodplain forests stretching from Strasbourg to Lauterbourg. The town of Seltz has been working to protect wetlands for over 30 years. Together with the neighboring municipality of Munchhausen, it was behind the classification of the Sauer Delta National Nature Reserve (RNN). This 486-hectare wetland is remarkable for its botanical (willows, mudflats, reedbeds), ornithological and hydrological richness, as well as for its landscapes.

The Consultative Committee of the Sauer Delta National Nature Reserve acts as the local committee for monitoring the City of Wetlands label. It brings together all the bodies concerned: elected representatives, users, environmental protection associations, government departments and scientific experts. It meets several times a year, and is often called upon to give its opinion on operations in favor of local wetlands, even when these are located outside the nature reserve. Concerted management is thus ensured with various partners who benefit from the services provided by the wetlands (farmers, hunting clubs, etc.).

The town of Seltz was behind the classification of the Sauer Delta RNN in 1997, in recognition of the ecological interest of the town’s natural environments. It has set up leases with the Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels d’Alsace to promote biodiversity in the commune, notably through the creation of ponds. Based on the general interest in preserving wetlands, the commune has classified these areas as N- natural -zones in its Local Urban Planning Scheme (PLU) to protect them from development.

The commune is involved in various projects to restore and preserve wetlands and aquatic environments. Natura 2000, Life, Interreg, and Plan Rhin vivant are projects that supported the creation of several ponds; the restoration of several Rhine oxbows, spawning grounds and tributary streams of the Sauer; and the development of natural areas to welcome the public. Maintenance of acquired or restored areas is entrusted to the Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels d’Alsace (CEN).

The population is informed and made aware through municipal publications, CEN Alsace publications and public meetings. Wetland users are involved in decision-making via the RNN advisory committee. The CEN and the local Centre d’initiation à la Nature et à l’environnement (CINE) organize activities to discover and raise awareness of the importance and functioning of wetlands. Particularly during World Wetlands Day, they take part in the Franco-German seminar organized for the Rhin supérieur-Oberrhein Ramsar Site.