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> Geographical situation > Natural history of the Ain > Natural habitats and rare species > The Ain : an undeniably valuable heritage |
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Restoring the different facies of the lônes (dead branches of the river), as a priority in the sectors with very deep river incision and whose biological potential is established, in order to achieve a return to a more optimum functioning and characteristics. Between 1945 and 1980 the fluvial style of the River Ain changed from a braided bed to a single channel, with meanders here and there. Until the 1970s, a large number of ox-bows were created. Since the 1980s, we have seen a stabilisation in the number of ox-bows. This stabilisation, coupled with alluviation phenomena (going as far as afforestation) and the hollowing out of the bed have sometimes led to the disappearance of environments and the remarkable species associated with them. The restoration of these environments in the sectors of the river which benefit the least from the fluvial dynamics is a priority. In these sectors, lônes are rare and highly disconnected from the active course of the river. The coarse materials extracted by cleaning out these lônes will be able to be used to build up the river bed in the reaches with the deepest incisions. Different types of restoration are employed such as cleaning out, increasing of the water surface, reconnection upstream and/or downstream, cutting back of ligneous vegetation invading the river banks In total, 5 lônes were restored as part of the LIFE Nature programme : - The Sous-Bresse lône: autumn 2004 - The lône des Carronnières: winter 2005 - The lône de Bellegarde: winter 2005 - The lône des Sables: winter 2005 - The lône des Bateaux: winter 2005 Download : - the presentation of the restoration work on the Sous Bresse lône - the presentation of the lône restoration plans - the maps showing the locations of the lône restorations (des Carronières, de Bellegarde, des sables et des bateaux) Improving the state of preservation of dry grassland habitats These natural dry environments, maintained by man, have been regressing regularly since the 1950s. 75% of dry grasslands have thus disappeared, or some 15% of the total area of the zone studied. A number of human activities are responsible, but the main cause is lack of maintenance. These grasslands, which are sites of Community importance, are home to 1/3 of the remarkable species present on the site. The existing grasslands are restored (wood felling, grinding, controlled burning), then these environments are maintained by various means (grazing, mowing, shredding, re-introduction of wild rabbits), in order to keep them in a good state of preservation, whilst at the same time integrating the requirements of their users (hunting, ramblers, …). In total,248 ha of grasslands were restored and maintained under the LIFE programme. Download : - the presentation of the dry grassland restoration at Terres Soldats - the presentation of the reintroduction of wild rabbits into the dry grasslands Maintaining, and even improvement of the state of preservation of the remarkable forest habitats characteristic of the River Ain, with priority going to the sectors where the stakes are defined as high. Afforestation characterised by nomadic forests (willows draped over the river's edge…) and alder-ash forest involves high conservation stakes. More mature wooded areas will be used for nesting by remarkable birds of prey. Good conservation of these environments depends essentially on fluvial dynamics being maintained: creation of new areas and maintaining of the level of the alluvial sheet. Consequently, non-intervention is recommended in the sectors where the stakes are defined as high. The actions to be undertaken aim essentially to favour the application of "soft" silviculture practices altering as little as possible the way the habitats function naturally and allowing the trees to mature more. The fight against invasive non-indigenous species must be undertaken and certain sectors left to mature freely. On the other hand, corridors of forest still need to be identified and maintained in order to guarantee the circulation of the different species. The work done on the forest habitats as part of the LIFE programme includes: - the demonstration-supervision of a felling operation in the forest at St Jean de Niost. (Download the presentation of the work: pdf: forestry work) - the cutting of cultivar poplar shoots at Châtillon la Palud - the fight against theJapanese knotweed, a highly invasive exotic species. - the alluvial forest management guide (available to download soon). |
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