cranes and agriculture in france -...

Cranes and agriculture in France

Alain Salvi

In France Eurasian Cranes are

traditional users of agrosystems

However no information about significant damage to the crops in

Cranes and agriculture : an

old common history in

Europe…

However no information about significant damage to the crops in

the available ornithological papers from the XVIIIth & XIXth

centuries to the 1980ies

Lower Crane population ?

Wide dispersion of Cranes during staging due to former kind

of agriculture

Since the middle of the XXth century important evolution of

agriculture in France with :

- specialization of some regions

- increase of corn culture and extent from the SW of the

country to all regions

During the same period, development of some areas along the

traditional flyway of Cranes through France

Two most illustrative examples :

from 1967 to 1974 creation of the

lake Der-Chantecoq in Champagne

(4 800 ha of shallow water in

from 1980 restoration of a large mine of brown coal in Arjuzanx,

Aquitaine (2626 ha with important basins of water)

(4 800 ha of shallow water in

autumn) to prevent floods in Paris

Cranes and agriculture in Aquitaine

• Main culture : corn

• Cranes arrive after harvest and leave before sowing � no damage

• Specific program are developed to make the feeding conditions better for staging and wintering Cranes

• Example from 1998 specific contracts are offered to farmers :

in each farm, at least 80% of the corn fields must be cultivated with

corn during 5 years

corn stubbles must remain available for feeding Cranes during the winter

• Some results : effective contracts on 62 farms for 3420 ha

(600 $ /year + 30 $ / ha / year)

Crane as a support for ecotourism in Aquitaine

mild climate

gastronomy

wine

ocean

landscapes

…

and Cranes !

www.ecotourisme-landes-de-gascogne.fr

and Cranes !

Cranes and agriculture in East France

Lorraine (Woëvre)

Champagne (lake Der-Chantecoq and surroundings)

In autumn Cranes generally arrive after harvest and mainly feed

on corn stubbles

Some of them (up to 25 000) spend the winter here…

Thousands of migrants arrive from mid February with high

feeding requirements

Corn becomes scarce and sowing of early cultures begins :

barley, peas, …

Depending on the weather staging can be short… or not !


First significant damage with complaints of

farmers happens in March 1984

« Fed up with cranes and peas »(regional newspaper, March 1984)


Champagne (1)

From 1993 to 2003 damage mean estimation : 46 000 $/year

Damage mainly on newly sown barley fields during

spring migration

Agro-environmental program to prevent damage by gathering

corn stubbles available for Cranes as long as possible :

�until December 15th : 60 $/ha/year to be paid to farmers

�until March 15th : 183 $/ha/year to be paid to farmers

Results : agreement only for 656 ha


Champagne (2)

New experimental program from 2005 to 2009 :

financial compensation of

Crane damage by the regional

administration

monitoring of staging Cranes by

Experts

monitoring of staging Cranes by

conservationists

Considering the results this program starts again from 2009 to 2013 for

a maximum total compensation of 120 000 $/year for the whole region

Paid to farmers

Total cost

Artificial

feeding


Champagne (3)

In the same time agro-environmental

program to prevent damage with

artificial feeding and grassland

recreation and restoration (financial

support from 196 to 658 $/ha/year)

« Cranes cost… but they bring

money back too »(national hunters’ magazine, October 2005)


Lorraine (1)

Only sporadic damage (1984, 1996, 2003, …) on newly sown barley fields during spring migration, estimated for example to 9 600 $ in 1996

Same situation as in Champagne but at a very lower extent due to less numbers of Cranes

Till now Lorraine is the only region of France where Cranes

� agro environmental programsto support traditional extensive land use ofgrasslands

� conservation programs to save meadows and wetlands

Till now Lorraine is the only region of France where Cranes

are breeding


Lorraine (2)

In the last 10 years negative evolutions of agriculturefor staging Cranes take place in some parts of the region

Due to international context and local opportunity a factory of biofuel using colza has been build near Verdun

Toward yellow spring

landscapes…


Lorraine (3)

The result is a dramatic decrease

of corn fields and therefore of

food availability around

Ex. : Billy-les-Mangiennes the northernmost historical wintering place for Cranes in France

But the expansion of colza is also

a problem for breeding pairs…

May

June

only very limited areas are

available to feed Cranes.

As many birds Eurasian Crane is strongly linked to agricultural conditions in

France

Conclusion

Recent transformations of agriculture have probably promoted a spectacular

increase of Crane population but also caused huge concentrations resulting

in damage to the fields

Together European regulation and financial support allow to solve some

Local as well as international factors can induce modifications to Crane

populations and behavior

Together European regulation and financial support allow to solve some

problems on a short term

On a long term only the diversity of landscapes and of agricultural practices

can help to reduce the pressures of Cranes on agrosystems

Thank you for attention !

cranes and agriculture in france -...

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