News
2017-10-13
Final event in the Doubs (F)
On October 13rd 2017, the LIFE Elia-RTE gathered all its partners at the Vuillecin (Doubs) site for a closure meeting of the LIFE project.
The commune and its many volunteers, the ONF, RTE, the goat breeder Angora had made an appointment to draw conclusions from this adventure of more than 6 years (see press article below).
Following the creation of the Pontarlier-Frasne HV line and the forest right-of-way in the commune of Vuillecin, a long process of partnership, contracting and research of an optimal ecological management took place.
In the end, more than 3 ha of grazing areas were installed on communal property but also on private property. Local wild apple and pear trees were installed on the edge of the forest trench thanks to the dynamism of Benoit Locatelli, the ONF's local agent.
An apiary has been installed by a local beekeeper to benefit from a forest flora remote from the agricultural zone.
On the eastern edge of the site, woody vegetation has recovered among owners who have not joined the project. This control plot is very interesting to show the real contribution of the LIFE project on maintaining an open environment, suitable to the deployment of biodiversity.
Different grazing methods have been tested on this site: horse via Konik Polski horses, cattle via a local breeder and finally goat via Mrs Bouhelier's angora goats to try to restrict the influence of the bramble on the site.
During this meeting, the partners agreed on the agreements to be finalized to guarantee the sustainable management of the site, to facilitate the interventions of the cattle breeder and the goat breeder.
The option to double the action of cows and goats by introducing donkeys has been validated.
This new species seems all the more legitimate in the context of the attack of the goats by the Lynx during the last grazing season.
The LIFE team was also able to transmit the site's restoration history and management plans to local stakeholders.
The project in Vuillecin was only made possible through the investment of time and passion of a wide variety of actors: representatives of the commune, ONF agents, breeders, RTE's project managers.
It is the conjunction of all these energies, converging towards a common objective, that has created the conditions for the success of this project.