Life Elia

A multi-actor partnership

In the frame of the renewal of the partnership signed between the Regional Natural Park of the Orient Forest and the Transport System Operator RTE (French TSO), a Press file was distributed to all event's participants, including the following information.
Important people were there to sign the partnership : the Director of the Regional Natural Park of the Orient Forest (PNR), regional officials of RTE, the eco-museum as well as representatives of the Natural Areas Conservatory of Champagne Ardenne.

Co-financing a project enhancing biodiversity

The European Commission supports the project LIFE ELIA carried out by the Belgian TSO ELIA and the French TSO RTE, along with the Walloon Region (Belgium). The goal is to value easements of the HV electrical grid in favor of biodiversity. For example through animal grazing on some sections under overhead power lines of RTE in forest corridors. This management is enhancing open land biodiversity.

Rather than applying traditional vegetation maintenance techniques on easement, why not choosing natural and ecological techniques ? The project LIFE ELIA is tackling maintenance management under the lines crossing the Orient Forest by setting up animal grazing.

Concrete actions in the Forêt d'Orient

On the Natura 2000 " Lawn and Wood Sheep ," the PNR of the Forêt d'Orient website wanted to extend the grazing area previously under the control of the line of 225,000 volts Creney - Froncles . The goal was also to have a pedagogical approach and communicate with the public with educational trail rides (the sheep trail) for the visitors of the park.

Grazing management

The grazing management is to install a flock of sheep in the grip of the power line for slashing instead of using mechanical devices.
Pastoralism is an ancient farming practice that promotes the creation and maintenance of open spaces in the landscape .
These open spaces are often rich in biodiversity and are declining in many regions where the abandonment of pastoralism led to colonization of grasslands by trees and shrubs.

What is a LIFE project

Programs ' LIFE + Biodiversity ' help to implement projects that contribute to halting the loss of biodiversity. To be eligible for the LIFE program, the project must be innovative and reproducible in all Member States. The European Commission will co-finance projects up to 50 %.

The project ' LIFE + Biodiversity ELIA RTE take advantage of electricity transmission network as a favorable place for biodiversity corridors. It allows adjustments in 8 power lines easements of RTE on the French territory, which accounts for about 15 km of lines and 107.000 € of financing over 5 years. They will be managed by local partners involved in the preservation of biodiversity.