While certain agricultural or pastoral practices can be very harmful to biodiversity (i.e. monoculture and the use of phytosanitary products, especially insecticides), other practices can play an essential role in preserving habitats and food resources (insects) for threatened species such as the Little Bustard or the Woodlark.
Supporting the farmers for biodiversity-positive practices
Only 3% of the species of community importance within agricultural environments are in a favourable state of conservation.
This dire percentage can be explained by the disintegration of their habitat and food resources, especially insects. Hence, 10% of the butterflies have disappeared in only 11 years within the Natura 2000 network. In some environments, this tendency has gone from bad to worse: indeed, the “EU Grassland Butterfly Indicator” shows a fall of 39% in the number of meadow butterfly species.
Supporting the breeders for the ecosensible management of parasitism
Many projects and studies have confirmed the impact of the anti-parasite treatments on coprophagous insects: even at a low dose, some molecules traditionally used (ivermectin, doramectin, etc.) keep their insecticidal properties in cattle dung, thus inducing a risk of intoxication for coprophagous insects. The period for eliminating the impact of said molecules may last long, from 10 to 150 days, according to the route of administration (intramuscular, oral).
Rehabilitating the little bustard populations in the St-Chaptes plain
The little bustard is settled in the Mediterranean region. The species widely winters in the Crau plain (Bouches-du-Rhône, Costières du Gard and the Vidourle plain), where low crops (plough, seedbed, paths, market gardening, grubbed up vine) coexist with meadow shelters (alfalfa stands, hayfields).
Monitoring the impact of the conservation measures in agricultural environments
Monitoring allows to assess the direct or indirect impact of the conservation measures: supporting the farmers into carrying out biodiversity-positive practices, supporting the breeders into managing the parasitic risk in an ecosensible way or rehabilitating habitats suitable for the little bustard for species of community importance targeted by agricultural environments.