Case study:Restoration of the Cassaire wetland (Rhôle delta)

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Location: 43° 32' 27.49" N, 4° 47' 53.09" E

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Habitat and biodiversity, Social benefits
Country	France
Main contact forename	Jean-Laurent
Main contact surname	Lucchesi
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation
Contact organisation web site
Partner organisations
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Cassaire site two years after the beginning of the hydraulic management.

Project summary

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The project aims to restore an agricultural waste land in a wetland by installing typical temporary marshes and grassland vegetations of Mediterranean wetlands. The aim is also to show that the development of hunting activity is compatible with a hydraulic management respecting the natural cycle of a mediterranean temporary marsh. Various developments have been carried out on the site such as earthworks, sediment transfers for reference ecosytems and the installation of a pumping station powered by a wind turbine. This pumping station helps maintain a favorable water level for aquatic habitats and waterbirds. Horse grazing from February to August helps to maintain vegetations open.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Monitoring: - vegetation dynamics and dynamics of the seed bank - transport of seeds (wind, water) - birds - counting of hunting tables - hydrology The former agricultural fields have been restored as temporary marshes and Mediterranean grasslands. The three objectives pursued have been globally achieved - Ecological: increase of the heritage interest of the site - Sociological: development of hunting activities for the inhabitants of the nearby hamlet - Scientific: progress of knowledge in ecology of restoration Main results: - reclamation of a wetland destroyed by cultivation activities in the middle of the 20th century By: - the development of target plant communities according to hydrological conditions - the installation of protected but not targeted species

Lessons learnt

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The need to precisely control the management (hydraulic management and grazing): - breeders do not strictly respect the demands of the managers (grazing period and grazing pressure) - capcity of the pumping staition inferior to that announced by the manufacturer The need to organize from the beginning: - the monitoring at mid and long terms - the means to ensure adaptive management in order to respond to the possible gap between the vegetation obtained and those predicted. - The need to raise awareness (breeders, hunters) that a more environmentally friendly environment offers more irregular services than a area only managed for a particular service

Image gallery

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Cassaire site two years after the beginning of the hydraulic management

Modeling of the targeted topography to achieved the desired hydraulic conditions

Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Rhône - Méditerranée River basin Rhône-Mediterranean Subcatchment River name Verdier marshes Area category Less than 10 km² Area (km2) Maximum altitude category Maximum altitude (m) Dominant geology Ecoregion Dominant land cover Coastal wetlands and lagoons Waterbody ID Other case studies in this subcatchment: INTERREG MED WETNET - Membership card of the Verdier Marshes-Rhone Delta Wetland Contract, MediCyn, The Verdier marshes Site Edit site Name Cassaïre WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Rice field Reference morphology Temporary marsh Desired post project morphology Temporary marsh with various depth Heavily modified water body No National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Yes Invasive species present Yes Species of interest native or typical flora of the temporary wetlands of the Camargue area, adapted to the Mediterranean climate, with protection status and threatened by some types of water management, such as fresh waterproduction in the summer (Callitriche sp., Callitriche truncata, Chara aspera, Characanescens, Chara globularis, Ranunculus peltatus, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Tolypella glomerata, Tolypella hispanica, Zannichellia obtusifolia and Zannichellia pedicellata). Dominant hydrology Temporary flooding Dominant substrate Clay and sand River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started 01/01/2010 Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project Landscape enhancement Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Installing typical temporary marshes and grassland vegetations of Mediterranean wetlands. Planform / Channel pattern Other Installation of a pumping station powered by a wind turbine. Non-structural measures Management interventions Hydraulic management and grazing; Horse grazing from February to August helps to maintain vegetations open; Monitoring Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information