First assessment of the natural assets reserve of Cossure in the La Crau plain

Abstract

The first French natural assets reserve was created in 2009 on the Cossure site in the La Crau plain (Bouches-du-Rhône) by the CDC Biodiversity, a subsidiary of the "Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations", under the aegis of the French Ministry of Ecology. This operation has three objectives: (i) rehabilitate ecological connectivities with the adjacent Natural Reserve of the "Coussouls de Crau", (ii) support the local sheep sector and (iii) test the first French compensation offer mechanism. The first ecological monitoring show that rehabilitation has allowed the creation of a favorable herbaceous plant formation, favorable to the return of the steppe avifauna but the results over the long term cannot yet be definitively predicted. The economic analysis of the experiment reveals some risks in the organization of the scheme, particularly in terms of its sustainability and the rules that govern it. The results of this experiment emphasize on the one hand the technical difficulties to rehabilitate ecosystems and on the other hand the limits of this compensation mechanism. Although this mechanism offers opportunities to improve actions to conserve natural areas, it is still important to consider the possibilities at their true value so that compensation does not ultimately replace conservation actions for biodiversity.