Describe and monitor quality and quantity of hedgerows and bocages in France

Abstract

Historical and cultural heritage, the bocages have been in decline for many years. The mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of traditional methods of cultivation have led to the uprooting of a large number of hedges. However, the bocages are very favorable to biodiversity. In cultivated areas, hedges serve as a refuge for many species of flora and fauna. Their meshing also allows wild animals to move around more easily. With this in mind, National Office for Hunting and Wild Fauna (abbreviated ONCFS in French) and the National Institute for Geographic and Forestry Information (abbreviated IGN in French) have joined forces to develop a project for the qualitative and quantitative monitoring of hedges in France. This three-phase project aims to identify, characterise and qualitatively monitor bocages. The results will be a layer of the hedgerow line and a map of bocages in metropolitan France, constructed based on objective criteria linked to the type of landscape (e.g. density, connectivity of hedge). For the territories thus defined, a protocol for in situ monitoring of the ecological quality of the bocage will be set up. This project has received financial support from the ministries in charge of agriculture and ecology.