News
2016-01-12
Work progress in Drôme (F)
Ponds dug for the crested newt and a wet meadow in Allex en Drôme (Department 26) ! On January 12th 2016, part of the team visited this French LIFE Elia-RTE site to review the situation with all the local partners.
Digging 4 ponds and fencing
The crested newt is an amphibian protected by European legislation (Habitats Directive). Its survival depends, among other things, on the existence of a network of ponds allowing it to feed and reproduce. On the ground, 3 ponds with irregular banks were dug, bringing to 4 the number of ponds present in this environment favourable to the newt.
On the other hand, a meadow of about 1.2 ha was fenced off with Robinia stakes driven into the ground every 5 to 7 metres to which 3 electrical strips were attached. Divided into 2 compartments, this pen will allow the grazing of two horses belonging to a local breeder during the months of July and August. After a few years of grazing, the Ramières National Nature Reserve, a partner in the project, will mow this wet meadow. This management, grazing followed by mowing, will be more harmonious than the recurrent grindings carried out in the past.
Preparation of biological inventories and the IENE 2016 event
The project partners, RTE, Réserve Naturelle Nationale (RNN) des Ramières, LPO Drôme and the Communauté de Communes du Val de Drôme then met to prepare the next actions on the site.
Biological inventories were planned on the following groups: odonates (dragonflies), butterflies, amphibians, birds and higher plants. They will be led by the Ramières RNN team, with the support of the Conservatoire Botanique National de Gap for botanical aspects. These inventories will make it possible to measure the impact of LIFE's work on local flora and fauna.
The site will also host a visit by 55 people in August 2016 during the IENE conference on biodiversity along linear infrastructures organised in Lyon by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.
In addition, building on the positive local dynamics that have developed over time and the initial large-scale work carried out, the partners will investigate the possibility of carrying out other actions together at other locations within the framework of LIFE.
A great challenge to take up with all the local partners!