Context

In the south of the Loire Atlantique and the borders of the Vendée, lies a territory, shaped by agricultural activities, which created cereal crops, pastures and vines. Because of the agricultural mechanisation, these different agricultures progressively reshaped the landscape, eliminating in some areas whole networks of hedges, therefore destroying ecological corridors and hence affecting the survival of fauna and flora. on which fauna and flora depend to survive.

For some years now, the agricultural actors have started to realise the triggered damages and have decided to act in order to strategically reconstruct these green corridors, essential to the ecological continuity, and whose positive effects on agriculture are recognised.

Project

The project aims at reintroducing the vegetal green lines and the ecological corridors in the rural landscape. The objective is to recreate the traditional bocage landscapes in areas which were strongly affected by years of land consolidation and multiple grubbing of hedges.

Contribution

- Protecting local biodiversity by preserving and restoring the damaged natural habitats.

 - Preserving air and water quality and fighting against soil erosion.

-  Fighting against climate change thanks to the vast amounts of CO2 stored into the tree’s biomass.

Project initiator 

Horizon Bocage is a volunteer association which works towards rebuilding the bocage landscapes in the Loire Atlantique area. Since 2012, more than 21 700 trees have been planted on the territory to reverse the past trends.