What kind of surveys for follow-up and evaluation of ecological restoration operation ? Example of the Quiberon's « Côte Sauvage »

Abstract

Among the numerous operations of ecological restoration set up in particular on over-frequented sites of the French Atlantic coast, only few of them are the object of scientific (follow-up) monitoring ?, which are necessary for the evaluation of the success of used techniques. These surveys also allow to identify the blocking or the drift in the dynamics of the concerned systems. One of the reasons of this lack of such surveys is the absence of standardized, simple methodology allowing a global evaluation of such operations. Within the framework of a collaboration between scientists and site managers, we established a method of evaluation based on a simplified mapping and criteria allowing to monitor the dynamic of the system, without requiring deepened knowledge in botany or in ecology. The objective is to define a methodology which can be operated at regular intervals, without prohibitive cost, within the framework of recent operations but also for a posteriori evaluation of older ones.