- "The partial return to professional life and leisure for millions of citizens risks causing the involuntary destruction of wild animals and plants," worry seven associations for the protection of nature.
- One of the fears is that of a sharp increase in animal mortality on the roads after two months of reduced traffic. Another is that of the disturbance that could cause our walks on animals that have invested, to reproduce, unusual places
- To avoid the risks, these seven NGOs as well as the French Office for Biodiversity distil the recommendations. That for example of not leaving the hiking trails
Two months of confinement. Calvary for some, happiness for others ... In the second category, there is a part of the wild fauna which took advantage of this sudden stop of human activities to take a little more comfort and flourish in sites in places where we had rarely seen. From these basking sharks back in the Iroise Sea, off Brest, in early April, to this chamois photographed in early May, in the suburbs of Strasbourg, far, far away from its mountains, or this gray wolf surprised in the Dieppe region, in Seine-Maritime, where the species had not been seen for a century.
We stop there, the list of these unusual meetings is long. The question now is that of returning to normal. Will it be harsh for wildlife?
The return of danger on the roads?
This is the concern expressed in any case by seven associations for the protection of nature. "The partial return to work and leisure for millions of citizens risks causing the involuntary destruction of wild animals and plants," said their press release. "We must not refrain from reconnecting with nature, simply, we must do it with civility, that this return is not violent," adds Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Animals (LPO).
Among the points of vigilance are the roads. Reduced traffic in the past two months has most certainly saved animal lives. The NGO collective puts forward orders of magnitude: "A few thousand owls and polecats, tens of thousands of salamanders and hedgehogs and millions of insects". "The fear is that this road mortality will start again, all the more if the animals have lowered their vigilance," says Allain Bougrain-Dubourg. Hence this call to ease the wheel and be vigilant about the presence of animals on the roads launched by these seven associations for the protection of nature.
A deconfinement in the midst of nesting and reproduction
Another cause for concern is the reopening of parks and forests and beaches. Even more this weekend, the first since deconfinement and which promises to be in good weather. "The French will certainly want nature, and that's very good," begins Pierre Dubreuil, director general at the French Office for Biodiversity. But it must be kept in mind that, during their absence, animals occupied the spaces left empty and that we are currently in the middle of a sensitive period for nature: that of nesting and reproduction. "
Marc Giraud, spokesperson for the Aspas (Association for the protection of wild animals), cites the example of the Ringed Plover, a species of bird included in the red list of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of nature) and who settles on the top of the beaches to nest. "Since he spawns in the open area, his defense is camouflage," he says. Its eggs seem to be mistaken for sand. Usually, he chooses the less visited beaches, but the confinement was misleading since they were all. Usually, too, naturalists, when they spot a nest, mark its presence with signs. But this work could not be done in recent weeks. It would still be a shame if eggs were accidentally crushed. "
Stay on the trails… and the dog on a leash
The OFB also draws attention to the capercaillie, the black grouse or the ptarmigan, gallinaceous from our mountains, particularly sensitive to disturbance during courtship displays and brooding. This is also the case, in the plains, of partridges, which nest on the ground, or of the shrike, which incubates its eggs in the groves and in the hedges. The OFB still cites many ducks, such as the summer teal, or shorebirds like the elegant avocado, which nest in marshes and near streams often popular with hikers and sports lovers. "The risk is that by disturbing them, these birds abandon their nest, endangering the broods ...", specifies the agency. Pierre Dubreuil then gives three pieces of advice to walkers: "that of staying on hiking trails, not making too much noise and keeping dogs on a leash", he slips. "And to avoid as much as possible going to the top of the beach and the sand dunes", add the seven associations for the defense of nature.
Delay mowing and size of plants until July
For those who want to push even further, the collective also calls for leaving part of their green spaces to dry up, by delaying the mowing of lawns and the pruning of plants, in particular hedges and trees which shelter a great biodiversity. "At least until July," says Allain Bougrain-Dubourg. The president of the LPO addresses this request as much to private gardeners as to mayors. "Many have hastened in recent days to cut the vegetation, he regrets. We can understand this when it is done for security reasons, but if not, it is surely possible to wait for the end of the breeding period. "
It remains to be seen whether all of these instructions will be heard. Allain Bougrain-Dubourg is optimistic: "These two months of confinement revealed an attention like never before towards the living," he points out. "Since May 11 in any case, we have not seen any negative impact of deconfinement on nature," adds Pierre Dubreuil.
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Do not exaggerate the risks of deconfinement on biodiversity?
Romain Julliard, professor of ecology at the National Museum of Natural History, invites us to put into perspective the impact of deconfinement on wild life. "Just like, moreover, we must not exaggerate the idea that confinement was a great break for nature," he explains. It is indeed possible that we will observe in the coming weeks a higher mortality of animals on the roads, as we frequently observe in the summer or in the fall at the time of the emancipation of the young. But it will, in my opinion, be very punctual and marginal. Learning takes place very quickly. The same goes for faults. Even if species have lowered their guard in recent weeks and appropriately invested in areas abandoned by humans, they will get used to it very quickly and regain their reflexes. The error, according to the scientist, will be to cut oneself off from nature on the grounds of not wanting to disturb it.
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