Biodiversity management in viticulture landscapes
          Demonstrating project LIFE+ BioDiVine

                    Joel Rochard 1, Carine Herbin 1, France Mercier 1,
               Maarten Van Helden 2, Josépha Guenser 2, Marie Fauchadour 3
          1
           IFV (French Institute of Vine and Wine), Department of National Sustainable
              Development, Epernay, France, e-mail: joel.rochard@vignevin.com
        2
          ARD-VD (Association for Research and Development in Sustainable Viticulture),
                     Gradignan, France, e-mail: m-vanhelden@enitab.fr
             3
               Euroquality, PARIS, France, e-mail: marie.fauchadour@euroquality.fr



        Abstract. The BioDiVine project involves the study and management of
        biodiversity in vineyard landscapes. This project benefits of cofunding of the
        European initiative LIFE+ 2009/2014, it objective is to identify the interest of
        arrangements in wine regions and adaptation of crop management on
        biodiversity, landscape and overall environment. The project focuses on the
        management of six experimental sites (appellations of Saint-Emilion, Limoux
        and Costières de Nîmes in France, the Douro in Portugal and the Rioja and
        Penedès in Spain) and a reference site, Saumur-Champigny. The objectives of
        this project stem from three complementary fields: environment, agronomy
        and landscape. Concrete actions for conservation will be implemented at each
        site with the creation of semi-natural complementary areas in vineyards.
        Parallel with arrangements, it is planned to develop an alternative protection of
        the vineyard. Also, technical follow-ups and cartographic analysis will be
        conducted to assess the scope of these actions to conserve and enhance
        biodiversity through appropriate protocols for different specialties of
        biodiversity.


        Keywords: viticulture landscapes, biodiversity, amenities, sustainable
        management, terroir, RBA method.




Introduction

  The BioDiVine project involves the study and management of biodiversity in
viticultural landscapes. This project benefits of the cofunding of the European
initiative LIFE+ 2009/2014 that supports innovative activities in the field of nature
conservation and biodiversity contributing to the implementation of the objectives of
European Commission press release entitled "Halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010
- and beyond".
________________________________
Copyright ©by the paper’s authors. Copying permitted only for private and academic purposes.
In: M. Salampasis, A. Matopoulos (eds.): Proceedings of the International Conference on Information
and Communication Technologies
for Sustainable Agri-production and Environment (HAICTA 2011), Skiathos, 8-11 September, 2011.



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  The BioDiVine project objective is to identify the interest of plot and landscape
management in wine regions on biodiversity, landscape and overall environment. It
stems from three complementary fields: environment, agronomy and landscape;
allowing demonstrating that a biodiversity friendly management of the landscape and
an environmental action plan are compatible with high quality grape and wine
production.
  Two scales will be apprehended, a vision at the plot scale to ensure understanding
and sustainable management of soils (soil, protection of the vineyard ...) and a
broader vision, landscape-level.
  Indeed, interdisciplinary research on issues such as functional biodiversity and
landscape connectivity demonstrates that new options arise when systems
management are approached from landscape scale. Over the last decades, many
attempts have been made to enhance the quantity and quality of semi-natural
elements left in the countryside such as hedges, groves or ground covers.
  The project focuses on a reference site, Saumur-Champigny, located in the Loire
Valley (France), which already led a program on biodiversity wine for several years,
as well as six experimental sites: Saint-Emilion, Limoux and Costières de Nîmes in
France, the Douro Valley in Portugal and the Rioja and Penedes in Spain.
  Six different partners in the coordination and monitoring of European
demonstration sites are involved in the project LIFE+ BioDiVine. The IFV (French
Institute of Vine and Wine) and ARD-VD (Association for Research and
Development in Sustainable Viticulture) are partners in charge of the different
French sites and are technically coordinating the project activities. The Spanish
partners are ICVV (Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino) and DIBA (Diputacio
de Barcelona) which will implement the project activities respectively on the site of
La Rioja and Penedes. In Portugal, ADVID (Associação para o Desenvolvimento da
Viticulture Duriense) will be in charge of the Douro demonstration site. Finally,
Euroquality provides administrative and logistic management of the project.




Figure 1. The logo of the BioDiVine project, which shows the consideration of various aspects
of vineyard landscapes, both agronomic and environmental.




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Material and Methods

  The BioDiVine objective is to identify interest in land development and adaptation
of crop management on biodiversity, landscape and overall environment.
Different sites will be studied to determine what key actions can and will be
implemented locally, adapting the actions to the context of each study area.The
project comprises two operational components:

   Amenities: Concrete actions of conservation will be implemented on each site.
Some examples of actions:

- Introduction of ground cover plants (175 ha of grass strips and 245 ha of flowery
bands in total)
- Introduction of various hedges (70km established in total)
- Upgrading or restoration of walls and other layout elements

  These different actions are intended to improve the overall biodiversity, landscape
structure but also to contribute to the control of pests and diseases, reduce soil
erosion and runoff and reduce water contamination by pesticides. Thus, appropriate
landscaping implemented locally would be an element of response to enable a
positive impact on the environment, while improving product image and landscapes
quality.
  Parallel to conservation actions, the project plans to enhance the implementation of
integrated protection of the vine, especially through the use of predictive models of
disease, the development of mating disruption by pheromones, and the optimization
of spraying.

  Technical follow-ups: Monitoring of the result of these actions will be conducted to
assess the scope of their impact on conservation and restoration of biodiversity
through appropriate protocols at different levels: Arthropod monitoring through the
RBA method (Rapid Biodiversity Assessment already developed in various wine
regions), soil microbiology, botanical plants, birds and small mammals.
  The RBA method, developed in Australia by the arthropods specialists led by
Oliver and Beattie (1993), aims at assessing arthropod biodiversity, through a
trapping system (combination of “combi” and pitfall), while avoiding the classical
taxonomy. Thus, the measurement unit is the “morphospecies”. In 2004, Krells’
studies have confirmed and validated the scientific validity of the RBA method on
arthropods. Furthermore, another study conducted in Switzerland by Duelli and
Obrist (2005) confirms that the RBA is a very good indicator of biodiversity in the
understanding of local trends in short and medium term.
For several years M. VAN HELDEN has been developing this method in various
French wine regions both at landscapes and plot scale. This process will be
established at each site and followed by trainees supervised by the ARD-VD.
  In addition, a cartographic analysis will be conducted at each site to locate the main
landscape units using the Corine Land Cover database, but at a much finer scale
through Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These tools will facilitate analysis




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and understanding of the landscape at each site from aerial photographs and field
surveys.
  Moreover, many public awareness activities and dissemination of the project results
are planned throughout the project to interest the greatest number, but also to attract
the attention of winemakers and wine professionals such as the creation of a public
website (www.biodivine.eu), the implementation of information boards on sites, the
publications of articles and press releases, the organization of “open days” on
experimental sites, as well as training workshops.




Figure 2. The system of trapping by the RBA method for capturing arthropods by pitfall for
crawling insects, and "combi" for flying insects.



Results and Discussion

  Objectives: The project encompasses three general and complementary objectives
that are:

  -An environmental goal to evaluate the scope of every concrete conservation action
implemented to curb the impoverishment of wildlife diversity according to different
European biotopes (Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Continental). Indeed, the project
deals with creating complementary semi-natural spaces in vineyards such as hedges,
ground covers, grainland and/or low walls to host all kinds of arthropods, birds, little
mammals, fungi, new plants… The idea is to increase vegetal biodiversity that
supports animal biodiversity.

  -An agronomic issue to assess the benefits of arthropods and fungi biodiversity for
viticulture. Dynamics will be observed at a landscape scale considering this level is
deciding for preserving biodiversity in agricultural areas. An organized set up of semi
natural elements will help smooth out negative effects of the intensification of
parcels by improving connectivity and quality of habitats, and soil biodiversity




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wealth. The project aims at demonstrating that a landscape and ecological action plan
can efficiently help wine makers’ work while respecting biodiversity.

  -A landscape perspective focusing on the most efficient landscape structures in
terms of biodiversity. An appropriate landscape layout, respectful both of local
biotope and regional culture, is more efficient and functional than shorter sight
perspectives. Management plans will be proposed for each situation by the end of the
project.

  A project that starts out: Since launching of the project in late 2010, each
demonstration site is being analyzed to determine the specific key actions that can be
made locally thereafter. To do this, a mapping study across the landscape has been
achieved with the European Corine Land Cover database to get an idea of the land
use on each site. In addition, the RBA method was established on each study site and
aims to look at this first year, the diversity of insects on different habitat on each site
(vineyard, orchard, hedge, fallow land...) Insects catch began in mid-April, and this
during the entire growing season of the vine. As to the other protocols, they are being
developed with all partners and will be implemented next year.
  During the project a general framework of landscape analysis will be set up in
order to enable the declination of the land management measures depending on the
different types of territory that exist all over Europe.
  Finally, beyond the six experimental sites, the BioDiVine project aims to promote
in all European countries actions supporting biodiversity that are adapted to each
vineyard context (climate, geology, slope, plot type, management systems ...).




Figure 3. Land use map of Costières de Nîmes (France), using the Corine Land Cover 2006
(IGN).




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References

  1.   Duelli, P. and Obrist, M.K. (2005) “Rapid Biodiversity Assessment” (RBA) :
       Une méthode avantageuse et économique pour l’appréciation de la diversité
       locale des arthropodes mobiles, Les cahiers de la FAL, 56, 132-138.
  2.   Krell, F. (2004) Parataxonomy vs. taxonomy in biodiversity studies pitfalls
       and applicability of ‘morphospecies’ sorting, Biodiversity and Conservation,
       13, 795-812.
  3.   Oliver, I. and Beattie, J. (1993) A possible Method for the Rapid Assessment
       of Biodiversity. Conservation Biology, 7, 562-569.
  4.   Rochard, J. and Herbin, C. (2006) Paysages viticoles, ed Féret.
  5.   Rochard, J. (2005) Traité de viticulture et d’oenologie durable, ed.
       Avenir œnologie.
  6.   Van Helden, M. and Guenser, J. (2010) Biodiversité viticole : quelles actions
       pour la préserver, comment estimer leur efficacité ? Revue des œnologues,
       137, 9-11.
  7.   Van Helden, M. and Guenser, J. (2009) Préservation de la biodiversité au
       vignoble, techniques existantes et connaissances actuelles. Revue des
       œnologues, 133, 14-15.


Acknowledgements

 We thank all those investing in the project BioDiVine, particularly local resource
persons who ensure the smooth running of the project:
 In Alto Douro: Cristina Carlos and Fernando Alves
 In Penedes: Josep Torrento Marselles
 In La Rioja: Fernanda Ruiz-Larrea
 In Saint-Emilion: Lucile Chedorge
 In Costières de Nîmes: Marina de Cecco and Elian Salançon
 In Limoux: Richard Planas
 In Saumur-Champigny : Marie-Anne Simonneau




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