General National Id France_14 Summary The major bed of the Save River includes a vast complex of wet meadows directly upstream of the municipality of Isle Jourdain (Gers), located partly in a floodplain area. A water abstraction well is located downstream of this complex for the supply of drinking water to the municipality. In order to reduce the risk of diffuse pollution from catchment, restore wetland habitats and contribute to downstream flood prevention, a 13 hectare parcel, riparian of the Save, was bought by the local community (CCGT) and leased to a farmer with a special contract. The field was converted to permanent natural grassland, and detention basins were dug to increase the storage capacity of the floodplain and development of wet plants community. The technique used for sowing the meadow is the "hay flower", hay from adjacent wetlands harvested late to include a wide seed bank, and makes it possible to obtain a floral procession adapted to the conditions of the meadow. This project has enhanced the natural grassland complex in the major bed of the Save. The project must still be completed by the conversion of another adjacent parcel, still cultivated. Light or indepth? In-depth The in-depth description of the case study mnre_rex03_prairie_quintarets.pdf Location description The parcel is located in the major bed of the Save River, upstream of Isle-Jourdain. It is located in a floodplain area, 500m upstream of a drinking water catchment area in the Save supplying a population of 10,000 inhabitants. The particularity of the site is that it is located between a vast wetland complex with floodplain natural grasslands alternating with wood and crops, and a growing activity zone (artisanal zone). NUTS Code Midi-Pyrénées RBD code FRD-Le Rhône et les cours d'eau côtiers méditerranéens Transboundary 0 Source(s) Retours d’expérience sur la restauration de prairies humides Créer une prairie multi-espèce en zone inondable. Fiche technique n°05 NWRM(s) implemented in the case study Meadows and pastures Buffer strips and hedges Floodplain restoration and management Basins and ponds Longitude 1.057169 Latitude 43.596914 Monitoring maintenance Monitoring parameters Flood monitoring the ADASEA du Gers monitors flood episodes by establishing a register of floods and recording area submersed, noting the duration of the flood, submersion extension and nature of the submerged areas with the associated water levels. Floral monitoring. Floral monitoring is carried out each year by the national botanical conservatory of Midi-Pyrénées to watch the meadow's evolution. Performance Biophysical impact assessement method Flood monitoring Floral monitoring Design & implementations Project scale Small Installation date 2013 Area (ha) 13 ha Favourable preconditions The wet grasslands in the surrounding provide a reservoir for recolonization of wetland fauna and flora when new wetland is created. The conversion to hay meadow allowed the restoration of semi-open wet habitats, in direct proximity to functional habitats of this type, with a direct interest in the associated biodiversity. In addition, the change in land use made it possible to reduce polluting pressures (no use of inputs), thus helping to protect the catchment downstream from diffuse pollution. Finally, the excavation of detention basins made it possible to increase the volume of water stored in the floodplain. Design contractual arrangement Arrangement type Responsibility Role Comments Name Design consultation activity Activity stage Key issues Name Comments Design land use change Land use change type Design authority Authority type Role Responsibility Name Comments Initiation of the measure Responsible Communauté de Communes de la Gascogne Toulousaine (CCGT) (federation of municipalities of the Gascogne Toulousaine) Implementation Supporting Association de Développement, d'Aménagement et de Services en Environnement et en Agriculture (ADASEA) du Gers (association for development, planning and services in environment and agriculture) Lessons, risks, implications... Key lessons Looking back, ADASEA regrets that piezometers have not been installed to quantify the hydrological effects of the measurement. Success factor(s) Success factor type Success factor role Comments Financing Financing type Comments Barrier Barrier type Barrier role Comments Other main barrier The land aquisition took longer than expected end flooding events lead to delays in the work. Work could not be started as planned, the meadow had to be sown with ryegrass for one year, the flower hay could not be used as planned immediately after harvesting but 3 month later (less favourable to keep the entire seed bank) and a flooding event just after the spreading lead to lose part of the hay. Driver Driver type Driver role Comments Availability of subsidies secondary driver The water agency and FEDER subsidies allowed mobilise all actors necessary for the project. Past flooding events main driver A wetland already recognised in the surrounding, an abstraction well sensitive to diffuse pollution, and the risk associated with the downstream urban area sensitive to flooding (floodable) Financing share Financing share type Share Comments Policy, general governance and design targets Policy description The field was initially cultivated with a rotation of cereals in conventional agriculture, involving in particular the use of pesticides. The area is flooded regularly, and is totally submerged every 5 years on average. Objectives of the NWRM: Protect the downstream drinking water abstraction well. Increase the storage capacity of a flood expansion area. Promote the typical biodiversity of wet grasslands. Preserve the quality of the living environment and landscape. Policy target Target purpose Policy pressure Pressure directive Relevant pressure Policy area Policy area type Policy area focus Name Comments Policy impact Impact directive Relevant impact Policy wider plan Wider plan type Wider plan focus Name Comments Policy requirement directive Requirement directive Specification Socio-economic Information on Ecosystem improved biodiversity In the absence of flooding in the 2 years after establishment of the meadow, it is mostly mesophilic grassland which developed. Even in detention ponds that were somewhat flooded in winter, there was no vegetation associated with wetlands. Monitoring shows the evolution of plant communities towards natural grassland species. Ryegrass dominated regrowth in 2014, before declining sharply the following year to make way for natural grassland species. As at Spring 2018, the floristic composition is thus close to a natural meadow. The flora that has developed is mesophilic, even in the detention ponds. This may be due to relatively dry years after planting, particularly 2016 and 2017. Photo gallery Full Context Pathway(aka Context) Default view Area(aka Level or Site) ALL