Association de la Grande Cariçaie – At the bedside of Noah’s ark for ten years

Sébastien Galliker

Posted today at 18:49—

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Bring together all the partners concerned with the conservation of a natural site of international value. This was the objective of the Association de la Grande Cariçaie (AGC), on July 7, 2010 at the castle of Estavayer-le-Lac, at the signing of an agreement between cantonal services, neighboring municipalities and organizations for the protection of the nature (Pro Natura, BirdLife, Nos Oiseaux) to succeed the Study and Management Group (GEG) of the premises. Thursday, the association took stock of its action after ten years.

Works

Thanks to the markings of nature reserves and information panels, the public knows what they can and cannot do. Other achievements include the creation of nature trails, the upkeep of marshes through various techniques, the digging of ponds or biological studies to gain knowledge of the area. “Our management plan of more than 300 pages lists some 120 actions to be implemented by 2023. One of the main objectives is to avoid the reduction of marsh surfaces by erosion”, explains Michel Baudraz, director since 2012.

“All this is combined with a great deal of information work, because the public does not always understand why machines can come to certain places, but not the visitors”, continues Catherine Strehler Perrin, president of the AGC and director of the Biodiversity and Landscape division at the General Directorate for the Environment of the Canton of Vaud.

Army and chalets

The subject of the moment in the Broyarde region is the desire of the cantons to dismantle some 180 chalets on the south shore. At the same time, the army maintains its firing point at Forel (FR), where several tons of ammunition rest at the bottom of the lake. “These issues depend directly on the Cantons and not on the AGC. The defenders of the chalets readily point to a contradiction in the maintenance of this firing point. But the framework of this one is legalized and of national importance, whereas the conventions of the chalets have expired ”, notes Catherine Strehler Perrin.

And Michel Baudraz to add that paddle users sometimes cause more nuisance than F / A-18s. “We have observed several reproduction failures of the purple heron for this reason”, adds Christophe Le Nédic, biologist and communications officer.

Dialogue

The AGC brings together the cantonal forestry, land use planning and water protection services. So many legal frameworks with which the GEG had to juggle before. Its goal was also to give voice to the affected Communes. “It is said that the Commons did not have a say in what was done in the past. Now we can discuss and sometimes negotiate. As part of our port repair work, the AGC wanted to remove a wall built when the lake level was higher, while we wanted to keep it. Finally, the solution was to make holes there so that the small fauna could pass, ”says Jean-Daniel Curchod, trustee of Chevroux and representative of the Vaud municipalities on the committee.

Perspectives

“The Grande Cariçaie is in a way a Noah’s ark with thousands of species that cannot be found elsewhere. While managing the public, we must retain this value, which is not obvious, ”Michel Baudraz projects himself. How to explain the drastic decrease in insects or fish populations? Warming of the climate and therefore of water, pollution or invasive species are sometimes mentioned. Whatever the causes, the AGC must ensure that the species are maintained at a time when the public’s attraction to nature has never been so strong.

Posted today at 18:49–