PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Mont des Avaloirs, in the heart of the Normandy-Maine Regional Nature Park, is the highest peak in Western France. The surrounding upland region is characterised by acidic and often nutrient-poor soils and was historically covered by dry and wet heath, peat bogs and screes. However, these habitats, along with traditional hay meadows, have been severely degraded due to intensification of agriculture and depopulation of the countryside. This has resulted in the encroachment of scrubland or active afforestation with exotic conifers. Although heaths and bogs were once abundant, comprising over 70 % of the area now in Natura 2000 network sites, today they are confined mainly to exposed ridges associated with poor soils. Therefore, urgent action is needed to safeguard and restore these last habitat remnants. From 2007 to 2014, Parc naturel regional Normandie-Maine and the Departement de la Mayenne implemented restoration actions on 16 ha of heath and almost 1 ha of peat bogs. These first small-scale actions enabled the institutions to appreciate restoration techniques with a view to large-scale management.
OBJECTIVES
LIFE Avaloirs aimed to significantly, quickly and permanently improve the conservation status of wet and dry heaths, bogs, bog woodland and scree habitats, along with abandoned hay meadows, in 2 Natura 2000 sites in the Normandy-Maine Regional Nature Park in France (FR5212012 and FR5200640). The project’s restoration actions effectively and sustainably addressed existing threats to the conservation of these habitats, such as scrub overgrowth and afforestation. Actions were also aimed at conserving the species supported by these habitats, particularly hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus). Furthermore, the project aimed to establish an inventory of habitats and species, to raise awareness around their importance among local communities and to transfer knowledge, techniques and know-how to other European heathland managers.
A special feature of the project was to simultaneously achieve the objectives of the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directives, by developing the most appropriate management methods and by strengthening institutional capacity.
RESULTS
Within this LIFE project, the objective of the 2 beneficiaries was to go beyond usual conservation measures in the targeted Natura 2000 site "Corniche du pail, Forêt de Multonne" (SPA FR5212012 / SCA FR5200640) and give a strong sustainable impetus to the conservation of target habitats (heaths and bogs) and species (Hen harrier and European nightjar in particular) on the site. This was carried out through large-scale and ambitious habitat restoration measures. This objective was overall achieved.
In details, the project achieved the following key results:
- 61 ha of heathland were purchased (versus 25 ha planned), securing a significant part of the restored areas for nature conservation;
- 132 ha of heath habitats were restored (habitat-types 4030 and 4010), with operations including tree removal (103 ha), complementary manual restoration work over 62 ha (e.g. uprooting of shrubs), mowing with export of the matter (11 ha) and fern control by rolling (6 ha) and by top soil removal (40 ha);
- 5 ha of bog habitats were restored (habitat type 7110) through tree clearing and mowing with export;
- 6 ha of abandoned grasslands were restored (shrub clearing), offering additional potential hunting areas for the hen harrier;
- 136 632 persons were reached at the local level through a large range of communication and awareness-raising activities targeting school children, local inhabitants, site’s users and professionals working on the project sites, students in natural area management, elected representatives, etc. Additionally, an awareness-raising trail was also created, promoting the value of heath and bog habitats, the project restoration work and the Natura 2000 network generally, a key legacy of the project.
Habitat-type 8150 (small area of screes within heathland) was eventually not targeted, with further plans to be implemented in the after-LIFE period.
Further work is planned in the after-LIFE period on the restored areas (post-restoration management or maintenance work) and beyond (restoration of new sites), which will be funded by the usual funding mechanisms for Natura 2000 sites and regional nature reserves, as developed in the after-LIFE plan.
Indeed, one of the project’s highlights is that a regional nature reserve was created in the project area during the project, on the Mont des Avaloirs, and a second one is planned on the other part of the project area, the Corniche de Pail. This was not initially planned but will contribute to the sustainability of the project results, along with land purchase and Natura 2000 tools.
The project impacts for nature conservation are not all visible at present, as the habitats will need several years to fully recover and develop naturally towards a favourable conservation status. This is not only true for the habitats themselves (4030, 4010 and 7110) but also for their functionality as habitats for species. Thus, the benefits of the project’s work on the 2 target bird species, the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and the European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) are rather expected in 5-10 years of time. A slight increase in the number of singing males was nevertheless observed for Caprimulgus europaeus over the project period, from 21 to 24 males.
The project work is also expected to benefit to other species associated to heaths and bogs, including amphibians, odonates, moths, spiders, etc.
The project restoration work produced 8 171 tonnes of wood, which was sold to local heating units from biomass, thereby generating a direct income of EUR 249 851. This income made it possible to increase the scope of some actions, especially land purchase and the creation of the awareness-raising trail. Within restoration activities, the project team worked with a social company (hiring and training unemployed people) that carried out most of the restoration work, and with 456 students from professional high school or BTS (advanced technician certificate). All in all, the project’s impacts in terms of capacity-building turned out to be remarkable.
