Head in the bocage

Where Man draws the landscape

A sophisticated landscape feature, the bocage is recognizable by its checkerboard pattern of hedgerows delineating meadows and cultivated land. These hedgerows mark the boundaries of plots that are often of unequal sizes and different shapes. The pasture meadows associated with these hedgerows are environments resulting from livestock farming systems.

Spanning 1 ha, the bocage occupies 900% of the surface area of ​​the Grand Site.
The municipality of Cenves concentrates 50% of these environments, on a sandstone subsoil. In the rest of the territory, the bocage meadows are grouped into 3 sectors: the Arlois valley (in the communes of Leynes and Chasselas) on an alluvial subsoil, the commune of Solutré-Pouilly near the Wood Barn on a sandstone subsoil, and downstream of the valley of the Little Grosne (in the commune of Prissé) on an alluvial subsoil. The meadows here are under great pressure and are in clear decline following their conversion to cultivation.

The characteristics of these meadows vary according to their location (valley, limestone slope, granite slope, etc.) and their agricultural management practices (grazing pressure, mowing regime, etc.). In the Petite Grosne and Arlois valleys, they are very often organized around the hydrographic network and significant stretches of riparian forest characterized by fragments of alder-ash woodland, a forest habitat of European importance.

The current state of knowledge does not allow for an analysis of the different types of grasslands in the area and their state of conservation. In certain sectors of the municipalities of Cenves and Solutré-Pouilly, grassland systems appear to be better preserved, with the presence of dense hedgerows and agricultural practices more favorable to the expression of plant communities of heritage interest (dry hay meadows).

Threatened ecosystems

Grassland ecosystems are environments rich in ordinary biodiversity. Often relictual and fragmented on the territory, they are nevertheless essential.
Le bocage network plays a vital role in the proper functioning of natural balances. Associated with meadows, it forms a green frame ensuring essential ecological and agricultural functions: habitats of heritage interest, such as wet area (wetlands, riverine forests) or ponds favorable to certain plant and animal species, ecological corridors, biological cycle of certain animal and plant species (odonates, lepidoptera, orthoptera, amphibians, birds, bats), hydraulic functions, limitation of erosion, crop protection, shelter for herds, etc.

For these various reasons, these environments are at the heart of a major conservation challenge in the region. The intense pressures they face locally are disrupting their entire ecological function. Their maintenance and development deserve special attention. Supporting and promoting livestock farming practices contributes to the preservation of hedged meadows.