The beneficiaries

Volunteering breeders may receive technical and material support in two fields:

• The eco-grazing management of open environments, as breeders are the major actors of habitat conservation, along with Mediterranean false brome grass. Moreover, equipment meant for making the grazing activity easier shall be provided, such as lavognes
• The “ecosensible” management of parasitic risk, with the following zootechnical interests:
• Targeted and adapted treatments, which shall end up cheaper due to the fact they are non-systematic
• Developing the herd’s natural resistance capacity
• Improving the pastures’ quality thanks to a faster degradation of waste and soil enrichment

LIFE Terra Musiva plans to support volunteer farmers in order to promote the development or enhancement of biodiversity-positive practices, which are, furthermore, co-benefits. This approach shall allow them to better anticipate regulatory changes, both ongoing or upcoming, and which are becoming more and more restrictive on the environmental level. It is also in line with the citizens’ growing expectations of consuming healthier, more environment-friendly products. It thus turns into an opportunity to create a new economical model based on environmental quality labels, as, for instance, the organic product consumption has risen of 12.2% between 2019 and 2021.

The Mobile Museum and the creation of new Educational Terrestrial Areas develop the preexisting presentation meant for school students in order to satisfy every school facility’s requests.

LIFE Terra Musiva offers the Gard garrigues territory locals many opportunities to better know their natural heritage. Educational Terrestrial Areas regarding nature for school facilities, a Mobile Museum that will travel across the territory, the possibility to be involved thanks to participatory sciences and even great social events and celebration activities with the very heart of the villages with the LIFE celebrations are only a sample of the events that you may experience!

The fight against the Louisiana crayfish shall involve, among other things, the introduction of carnivorous species appreciated by fishermen. The latter are thus tightly linked to this measure’s implementation.

This project plans to protect the riparian forests, which have a significant part to play for the fish species: creating sheltering habitats, diversificating the flows, stabilising the riverbanks, holding the suspended matter, decreasing the water’s thermal amplitude, etc.

The riparian forest is a habitat with a lot at stake. The owners aren’t subject to management plans allowing them to adopt good practices they should carry out to protect it. Beyond the ecological interest, their own heritage may end up sustainably impacted. For the purpose of protecting the riparian forests of the Gardon and Cèze Rivers, a plaque meant for the owners shall be placed in order to remind them the issues linked to the riparian forests and the suggestions to manage them as well as possible.

Several measures are directly or indirectly related to the activity of hunting: it’s the case of the opening projects or the creation of rabbit warrens. The hunting societies are thus narrowly tied to the implementation of these measures and to the management of these game populations (“huntable”).

Generally speaking, LIFE Terra Musiva’s aim to protect the habitats of various species shall prove to be in favour of the whole ecosystem on which the game depends.

Many local associations—for the protection of nature, for environmental education, for popular, cultural, hunting, fishing education, organising activities in the wilderness or even events committees—are involved in the project. They have the purpose of relaying information on the LIFE Terra Musiva updates and may get involved in several measures such as organising the LIFE celebration the science activities and the participatory sites. This is the reason why they may benefit of the LIFE financial contribution. The volunteers training shall take place during the participatory sites, hence allowing the association members to increase their skills.

The LIFE program contribute to strengthening and supporting the measures taken by competent local authorities in terms of biodiversity (region, state) and natural area management (department, municipalities and their arrangement in groups). The local elected representatives—along with the municipal staff—may receive support to allow them to take biodiversity more into account when managing their municipality, layout projects, or their municipal heritage. The LIFE celebrations play a part in the villages’ life, strengthen the locals appreciation for their territory and the respect of their environment.

LIFE Terra Musiva has direct economical impacts on the Gard guarrigues territory, for the benefit of the economical facilities that shall carry out the projects or planned studies. This involves the companies implied in the field of environmental studies, forestry tasks, environmental education or simply communication. The financial envelope for these outsourced services reaches more than 2.9 million euros.

Furthermore, these involved companies rise in awareness for the environmental issues shall further improve their experience on these kinds of services, their skills and therefore their competitiveness.

Finally, some companies shall indirectly benefit from the project, as their economical activities depend on the quality of the landscape and the environment. For instance, the riparian forest preservation shall keep the waterflow running smoothly, along with protecting their natural and preserved aspect. They are, indeed, a major source of attraction, on which depend the canoes-renting businesses or even camping.

The LIFE Terra Musiva project includes many different conservation measures, some of which are original and experimental. Naturalistic monitoring shall allow to assess the impact of these measures upon the targeted habitats and species. What we learn from this project shall be published in reports, technical specifications or ever newsletters sent to natural areas managers.

Technical partners such as the OFB may take part in monitoring sessions and be provided training, for example in the entomofauna monitoring protocol.