Carrière des Nerviens Regional Nature Reserve

Carrière des Nerviens Regional Nature Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Carrière des Nerviens Regional Nature Reserve
Carrière des Nerviens Reserve

Location in France

Location Bavay, Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Coordinates 50°17′54″N 3°46′35″E / 50.29833°N 3.77639°E / 50.29833; 3.77639Coordinates: 50°17′54″N 3°46′35″E / 50.29833°N 3.77639°E / 50.29833; 3.77639
Area 3.11 hectares (7.7 acres; 0.0120 sq mi)
Created May 25, 2009 (2009-05-25)
Operator CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois

The Carrière des Nerviens Regional Nature Reserve (in French Réserve naturelle régionale de la carrière des Nerviens) is a protected area in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. It was established on 25 May 2009 to protect a site containing rare plants and covers just over 3 hectares (7.4 acres). It is located in the municipalities of Bavay and Saint-Waast in the Nord department.

The reserve was created to protect fifteen plants of regional interest and three plant communities listed in the Habitats Directive. Its flora are linked to calcium present in marl. It is located in a transition zone between the oceanic and semi-continental climates and that gives increased biodiversity, with typical species of the atlantic areas and others more continental. The reserve also plays a role in a wildlife corridor.

The site consists of an old quarry of sandstone dated to the Famennian stage in the Late Devonian epoch. It was backfilled in the 1970s with marl. The new soil was re-colonized by pioneer species, which coexist alongside an established afforestation, forming a mosaic of habitats.

CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois, a non-governmental organization, is the owner and operator of the reserve. The main objective is to maintain the current diversity. To this end, regular management mainly struggles against the afforestation and against invasive species, such as Japanese knot weed. The secondary objectives are environmental education, heritage interpretation, improvement of knowledge fauna and flora, and environmental monitoring.

Geography

Location

Position of the site (in red) to the west of downtown Bavay

The Carrière des Nerviens Regional Nature Reserve is located in the Arrondissement of Avesnes-sur-Helpe between the cities of Valenciennes and Maubeuge, in the Nord department, Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. It is 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) west of downtown Bavay and 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) south-east of Saint-Waast.

The reserve is triangular in shape. It is bordered to the south by the 942 main road, north-east by an unused railtrack, and to the west by a small path known as Chemin de Rametz. It covers 3.11 hectares (7.7 acres).[1][Note 1] CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois owns a parcel of land on the other side of the railtrack. Though not yet included in the reserve, it is expected to be added when the current agreement is renewed.[2]

Relief

The reserve is located in the valley of the stream Ruisseau de Bavay, with an elevation of between 110 and 115 metres (361 and 377 ft). It has an overall north-south gradient of −5 metres (−16 ft). A mound of accumulated debris, which rises to about 6 metres (20 ft) above the path Chemin de Rametz, is located north-west of the site. After quarrying operations ceased, the quarry was filled mainly with the marl of the Bellignies quarry.[3] The area has since been completely recolonized by vegetation through ecological succession.

Hydrology

The reserve is located in the valley of the Ruisseau de Bavay, a tributary of the Hogneau, and is part of the greater drainage basin of the Scheldt. The reserve is not in direct contact with the river. It is supplied with water only by precipitation, which is retained by the natural properties of marl.[3]

Climate

The reserve's nearest weather station is at Cambrai, about 42 kilometres away, inland, to the southeast. However, the nature reserve is affected by the nearby presence of the Ardennes Mountains, which gives a continental influence to the climate.

The regular precipitation and the absence of drought,[4] as well as the predominance of south-southwest winds and rain vectors,[5] show the influence of oceanic climate. However, some significant rainfall variability between seasons,[4] the moderate temperature range, and the high proportion (69.8 percent) of low winds (less than 4 metres per second (13 ft/s)) compared to strong winds (3.2 percent over 8 metres per second (26 ft/s)) winds[5] are typical of a continental influence. This combination is atypical of an altered oceanic climate, a transition zone between the oceanic and semi-continental climates, characterized by mild winters and cool summers.[6]

In the reserve, this climatic transition leads to increased biodiversity. For example, common bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is a typical species of the Atlantic areas,[7] while the common butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is more continental.[8]

History

Old postcard showing the sandstone quarry with its hoist, a chimney reveals the presence of steam to operate the equipment; rock layers are nearly vertical
Postcard of the site c. 1900

Quarry

The site is a former quarry, used for its sandstone deposits as early as the late nineteenth century.[Note 2] by the Chevallier & Cie company, which employed about 70 workers, including 25 miners.[11] In 1909, the annual production was 12,000 cubic metres (420,000 cu ft) of macadam, 500 cubic metres (18,000 cu ft) of ballast and 25,000 cubic metres (880,000 cu ft) of cobblestones.[12]

Boreholes were drilled manually. Stone blocks were divided using a mass and a steel heavy hammer (up to 14 kilograms (31 lb)) called refenderesse. Stones obtained were then classified by eye into stone for cobble and rubble for macadam. The first were épincés: asperities were removed by épinceurs to form regular cobblestones. They were then sorted by size. The rubble was crushed in a jaw crusher. Debris were mechanically separated according to their size. Each particle has a particular use. Macadam, made of stones between 2 and 8 centimetres (0.79 and 3.15 in), was used for the construction and maintenance of roads. Ballast is a gravel 10 to 20 millimetres (0.39 to 0.79 in) used for concrete. Shot from 2 to 10 millimetres (0.079 to 0.394 in) was used for the surface of concrete or paths in parks and gardens. The fine dust, from 0 to 2 millimetres (0.000 to 0.079 in), was used for concrete paver blocks, concrete pipes, etc.[Note 3]

Quarrying ceased in the early 1960s (1962–1965), when the stones extracted were no longer of sufficient quality. Between 1971 and 1978, the quarry was gradually filled with marl from the Bellignies quarry. Since then, the site has been completely recolonized by vegetation through ecological succession, forming tree, shrub and herb layers.

Reserve

Map showing the boundaries of the site, the parcel classified in reserve within the site and other parcel managed by CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois
Physical boundaries of the reserve

In 2001, the site was brought to the attention of the CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois, pointing out the biodiversity of the new plant life. The association performed the first inventories. In the meantime, she contacted the five owners to consider a land management proposal. The commune of Bavay, the Bellignies quarry (SECAB) and a third owner sold her the property in 2003. The CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois became the owner / operator of 85 percent of the site.[14] The association implemented the first environmental resources management actions at the site and developed its first environmental management scheme[Note 4][15] In 2009, the association obtained the agreement establishing the regional nature reserve at the site for a period of 20 years.[16]

The name of the reserve recalls the former industrial activity (Carrière: quarry) and the Gallo-Roman history of Bavay, the capital city of the ancient Nervii tribe.[17]

In 2015, an other owner give the management of his parcel.

Geology

The Paleozoic folded outcrops of the Bavay-Saint-Waast area are the bedrock of the eastern flank of the Mélantois' anticline, where the transgressive Cretaceous (Turonian and Cenomanian chalk) thins, and may eventually disappear by erosion. Strata of Hercynian basement, raised in the East by an important structural horst-type accident, then appear locally. In these Paleozoic strata, the Devonian presents as a sandstone base of the Lower Famennian, where the levels were quarried[18][Note 5]

Formations

Quarried level

The stone that was quarried is arkose[19][Note 6] of the Famennian stage. Approximately 360 million years ago, the thrust of forming Gondwana plates raised the seabed. Meanwhile, an ice age occurred in regions near the poles.[20] Marine regression allowed sedimentation of detrital sand and clays which left[21] large shoals of hard sandstone with ripple marks, alternating with levels more or less shaley[22] according to their clay's content.

At the base of the deposit, these sandstones are reddish brown, very micaceous and shaley, sometimes containing calcareous nodules, ferruginous concretions and vegetable wax; above, they are gray and quartziferous. This is the Aye formation,[23] including spiriferida like Cyrtospirifer verneuili,[9] Rhynchonellida as Rhynchonella pugnus and R. boloniensis, some Orthoceras, Orthis striatula or Atrypa reticularis[10][24] Well-preserved feldspar and mica probably come from wind erosion under a semi-arid climate of mountains present in the Netherlands today and extending to Düsseldorf.[19]

Lower level

Fossil Cyrtospirifer verneuili, brachiopod typical of the Upper Devonian epoch
Cyrtospirifer verneuili is an extinct brachiopod, fossilized in the reserve.

Under the Famennian, the Frasnian consists, from top to bottom, of nodular gray shale, and mica rich in fossils such as Cyrtospirifer verneuili, Spirigera concentrica, Atrypa reticularis, Orthis striatula, Productus subaculeatus, and Acervularia pentagona. Below this are gray limestone-built beds, rich in corals such as Phacellophyllum caespitosum, Thamnopora boloniensis, alternating with black shale and nodular limestone containing Cyrtospirifer verneuilli and Phacellophyllum caespitosum. These beds issue from siltation of the biostromes present in the Frasnian epoch, 370 million years ago.[25][26]

Upper levels

Those Famennian strata represent the top of the Paleozoic series pleated with north dipping. Above, the transgressive Upper Cretaceous overlies horizontally with unconformity. It includes from the bottom to the top a paleozoic boulder conglomerate mixed with a sandy and glauconitic marl matrix, coarse clayey and glauconitic sands, containing Chlamys asper, Ostrea diluviana, Praeactinocamax plenus and finally marl with Terebratulina gracilis. These strata belong to the Cenomanian-Turonian and were deposited between 90 and 100 million years ago,[27] during a transgressive phase.[28]

Fifty million years ago, during the Ypresian age, locally called Landenian, forms of marl of the Porquerie are found. It comes from the alteration of Cretaceous rocks and takes the form of a brown or greenish plastic clay without fossils. The flints normally present at the base of the deposit[29] have not been reported by Ladrière 1881.

This stratum is covered with silt composed of clay, sand[30] and flints and Roman pottery pieces,[9] of the late Neogene age. Its origin can be attributed to the alteration of the underlying rocks and wind erosion.[30]

Nature of the embankments

Sarrasin de Bettrechies : a shelly limestone

The stones used to backfill the quarry are those which underlie the Givetian limestone extracted in the Bellignies quarry. There is Sarrasin de Bettrechies, a coarse shelly limestone, deep gray, yellowish when it outcrops, detrital ferruginous dated to the Lower Cenomanian epoch, a hundred million years ago. There is clay and very glauconitic marl of the Upper Cenomanian stage, enriched by a pebble conglomerate paléozoïc stones. These rocks contain Praeactinocamax plenus, Chlamys asper, Ostrea diluviana and radiated fossils: Janira quadricostata, Cyprina ligeriensis, Arca mailleana. There is also bluish marl of the Turonian.[31][32]

Ecology

Plant communities

Map locating the habitats of the reserve: in northern and western boundaries, mature woodland; the rest of the site is occupied by open habitat or pioneer wood; tall-herb fringes with butterbur are located along the path Chemin de Rametz
Map of habitats in the reserve

The site is characterized by a mosaic of 17 plant communities regrouped into three main types of ecological units:[Note 7] grassy open areas, shrubby areas and wooded areas.[33] Of these, three are listed in the Habitats Directive. The calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation Cystopterido fragilis-Asplenietum scolopendrii[34] are considered as exceptional, with a degree of uncertainty in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.[35] Hydrophilous tall herb fringe community[8] with Petasites hybridus, at the limit of its range, is also exceptional.[36] The herbaceous fringe with red campion (Silene dioica) et wood forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica) (Sileno dioicae - Myosotidetum sylvaticae) is very rare in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais.[37] The wood-fringe Lathyro sylvestris – Astragaletum glycyphylli[37] is also regionally interesting.[38]

Purple inflorescence Common butterbur whose leaves can measure up to 80 centimeters in diameter
Common butterbur
 
Scolopendre leaf characteristic because of its fullness
hart's-tongue fern
 
Pink flower of narrow-leaved everlasting-pea
narrow-leaved everlasting-pea
 

Flora

Vascular plants

The reserve has 171 plant species, and 15 of them have heritage interest.[39][Note 8]

Twelve of them were inventoried in 2003,[41] and their populations have been managed since.[42] The light undergrowth contains common spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) and round-leaved wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia).[43] Liquorice milkvetch (Astragalus glycyphyllos) and narrow-leaved everlasting-pea (Lathyrus sylvestris) are present in the small herb glade.[44] The population of lesser butterfly-orchid (Platanthera bifolia) is located in the pioneer wood.[45] In the glade with Calamagrostide and at the boundary of a pioneer grove grow pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis).[46][Note 9] bee orchid (Ophrys apifera)[47] and man orchid (Orchis anthropophora)[48] grow everywhere, except in the older glade. In the different herbaceous fringes grow wood forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)[49] and zigzag clover (Trifolium medium).[50] A tall herb fringe hosts common butterbur (Petasites hybridus).[51]

Seven plants are protected by a regional scale: common spotted orchid, man orchid, bee orchid, zigzag clover, liquorice milkvetch, narrow-leaved everlasting-pea and wood forget-me-not.[52]

Inflorescence of Lizard Orchid, characteristic with its striped labellum and goat-like smell
Lizard orchid
 
Blue flower of the Wood forget-me-not
Wood forget-me-not
 
Flower of the bee Ophrys whose labellum, like the abdomen of a female bee, lures the male
Bee orchid
 
The fruits of Liquorice milkvetch are pods
Liquorice milkvetch
 
The moss Mnium stellare, characteristic with its leaves star-shaped
Stellar calcareous moss

Mosses

In 2012, 43 species of bryophytes were inventoried,[53] including Stellar calcareous moss (Mnium stellare), taxon considered as endangered on the Nord-Pas-de-Calais red regional list of bryophytes.[54]

Mushrooms

Among the 115 species recorded in 2004 on the site,[55] 15 are included in the red list of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.[Note 10] In the shrubs near the path where green waste was deposited by people from outside the organization grow yellow club fungus (Clavulinopsis helvola), gray shag (Coprinopsis cinerea), black earth tongues (Trichoglossum hirsutum),[Note 11] Arrhenia spathulata and Marasmius limosus. Those two last species are also in the Calamagrostide's glade of a pioneer wood of willow and birch, with moor club (Clavaria argillacea), Geoglossum cookeanum, lilac leg fibrecap (Inocybe griseolilacina), (Stropharia pseudocyanea), girdled knight (Tricholoma cingulatum) and burnt knight (Tricholoma ustale). Near orchid stations in the pioneer wood exist golden spindles (Clavulinopsis fusiformis), Hebeloma clavulipes,[Note 12] Hebeloma fusipes, Hebeloma pusillum, and also lilac leg fibrecap and burnt knight. Dog stinkhorn (Mutinus caninus) and Scytinostroma hemidichophyticum for their part, were observed in the shaded path north of the site on the edge of mature wood.[56]

The fruiting body of the fungus is characterized by a cluster of rods spindle-shaped, branched or unbranched, yellow
Golden spindles
 
The yellowish-white feet, a diameter of one centimeter to a length of ten centimeters, is topped with a hat-shaped tassel orange to red at first, then becoming black. It looks like a dog's erect phallus
Dog stinkhorn
 
as they get older, the fruiting body changes from white to silver gray, then to gray-brown and gray-black
Gray shag
 
this fungus merges with the blue Stropharia but it is smaller and less yellow
Stropharia pseudocyanea
 
The cap of this mushroom is chestnut brown to red-brown
Burnt knight
 

Fauna

Mammals

Common mammals found here include the red fox, red squirrel, hare and rabbit, mole, wood mouse, bank vole and field vole. Two species of bats frequent the site regularly to hunt: the Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) and common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus). They cannot, however, establish their habitat due to the lack of roosting sites in the reserve's young trees.[57]

The Daubenton's bat frequents wetlands
Daubenton's bat
 
The common pipistrelle is one of the most common bats, especially found near houses
Common pipistrelle
 

Birds

Forty-two species of birds have been observed on the site, 25 of which are breeding there. Twenty-two species are protected nationally; five are listed on the annex OO of the Bonn Convention, which aims to conserve migratory species throughout their range.[58] However, no species can be considered as heritage. The northern goshawk and Eurasian sparrowhawk benefit from the abundance of sparrows feeding. The common grasshopper warbler stops there during its migration and the common nightingale nests there occasionally.[59]

The northern goshawk gliding in search of prey
Northern goshawk
 
Eurasian sparrowhawk in flight
Eurasian sparrowhawk
 
Common grasshopper warbler resting on a branch
Common grasshopper warbler
 

Reptiles ans amphibians

The common toad (Bufo bufo) and the common frog (Rana temporaria) are the only amphibians on the site. They use it in winter or during their migration. The viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) likes the slate deposits and ballast of the track. It hunts in the herbaceous areas, very flowery in summer and high in insects.[57] The common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) has been seen in 2013.[60] The slow worm reproduction (Anguis sp.) is attested by the observation of young under rocks and other debris.[57]

The skin of the common toad is covered with small wart-like lumps
Common toad
 
The common frog has two well-marked lines on the back
Common frog
 
Viviparous lizard has a small head, neck and tail are thick, the legs are rather short. The brown color is very variable with, especially in the female, dark sidebands.
Viviparous lizard
 
The slow worm is a small lizard which has no limbs and is, therefore, often mistaken for a snake.
Slow worm
 

Invertebrates

Reproduction of Odonata is not possible on the site because of the lack of standing water. However, thanks to the richness of insects in the herbaceous areas, several species can be encountered including the western clubtail ( Gomphus pulchellus), a species present in the Regional Red List of dragonflies North Pas-de-Calais.[61][62]

Twenty-three species of butterflies and 105 species of moth enjoy the floral diversity of the site.[63] The holly blue (Celastrina argiolus) is a heritage species.[41]

Of the nine species of Orthoptera identified, two are considered heritage: the sickle-bearing bush cricket (Phaneroptera falcata), rare in the region, enjoys the dry and high herbaceous areas and the long-horned groundhopper (Tetrix tenuicornis) is a pioneer species of poor vegetation settings.[37]

Holly blue presents as sexually dimorphic: the male has blue wings, the female brown
Holly blue
 
Western Clubtail is greenish-yellow streaked with black. Its abdomen is not expanded
Western clubtail
 
The body of this green Orthoptera measures 12–18 mm while its antennae are four times longer
Sickle-bearing bush cricket
 
This cricket is 8–10 mm long
Long-horned groundhopper
 
The reserve is located between Natura 2000 sites and ecological areas and is an important wildlife corridor, enhanced by the stream Ruisseau de Bavay, and unused railtrack
Integration of the reserve in the wildlife corridor.

The wildlife corridor

To the north are present two sites containing a rich biodiversity: the Natura 2000 Belgian area "Hauts-Pays des Honnelles" and a ZNIEFF[Note 13] "Vallée de l’Hogneau et ses versants et les ruisseaux d’Heugnies et de Bavay". The Bellignies quarry with embankments similar to those which filled "Carrière des Nerviens" is therefore under similar ecological conditions. In the south, the Forêt de Mormal is a major area for biodiversity covered by ZNIEFF and Natura 2000 sites. The railway, unused recently and the stream Ruisseau de Bavay then the river Hogneau provide connection.

Threats and responses

In the past, the site was threatened by garbage dumps or by passage of 4x4 vehicles or quads. The installation of gates by the municipality of Bavay solved the problem.[64] Pedestrians rarely venture off the path. The anthropization is limited. The greatest threats to the species are primary succession[37] and invasive plants.[65]

Primary succession

The marls was colonized by pioneer species, then shrubs and trees, corresponding to a primary succession. Without human intervention, a climax community would be reached. This dynamic may eventually lead to the disappearance of related open environments, particularly heritage species. However woodlands can also play an important role in creating habitat for many species. The management plan is therefore to maintain patch dynamics.[65]

Panorama showing the pioneer woodland on left and the managed grassy open area on right.
Panoramic view of the reserve

Invasive species

Four invasive species are a problem in the reserve.

Wood small-reed (Calamagrostis epigejos) is present in the center of the site and threatens to spread into herbaceous areas. It compromises sustainability of stations, including man orchid and bee orchid populations. Two distinct zones can be distinguished. The first, where the wood small-reed has a very high rate of recovery, is not hosting any heritage value. It is mowed early and disposed of. Grazing is not possible at the moment. The second, on the contrary, not densely colonized by this plant is much more of a fragile situation due to the presence of orchids and the sickle-bearing bush cricket or long-horned groundhopper. Differentiated management is applied depending on the issues. At orchid stations, slight thinning is done early by hand pruning. The less dense areas where the grass is sparse (conducive to the long-horned groundhopper (Tetrix tenuicornis)) are pulled. In the newly opened areas, a systematic and annual pulling avoids expansion. Finally, dense areas, well exposed, are left in that state.[66]

Many extensive areas of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) are on the site. Heritage stations of common butterbur and hart's-tongue fern, colonized by invasive species, are managed by manual removal and disposal for incineration.[67]

The bramble (Rubus sp.) lie around the ruins and along the south-east of the site near the houses. Due to an interest in preserving wildlife (e.g. refuge for mammals, insects, nesting wrens), they are not eradicated but contained.[67]

Canada golden-rod (Solidago canadensis) appeared in 2003 as a result of plant deposits. The threat proved to be serious the following year. Some stations show a significant concentration of the species, while isolated plants grow everywhere on the site. This plant is easily pulled by hand before flowering to prevent seed dispersal, and the shoots are burned.[68]

Finally, panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum) is also present among the invasive plants.[68] In their native countries, American asters are found in wet places. In France, these plants colonize relatively dry ruderal areas (brownfields, road shoulder ...) or wetlands. In this second case, asters show strong invasive behavior.[69] In the reserve, where the majority of areas are dry, this plant does not present special hazards and removal is managed easily.[68]

The large inflorescence of wood small-reed
Wood small-reed
 
The large leaves and white inflorescence of the Japanese knotweed
Japanese knotweed
 
Cluster of ripe berries on a bramble stem
Bramble
 
Canada golden-rod has large yellow inflorescences
Canada golden-rod
 

Management

Protection

Parcels of land owned by the CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois were classified as a regional nature reserve on 25 May 2009 by decision of the Conseil Régional Nord-Pas-de-Calais.[1] The entire site is included in a ZNIEFF type 1[Note 14] Château de Rametz (carrière des Nerviens) and another of type 2[Note 15] Complexe écologique de la forêt de Mormal et des zones bocagères associées.

Management objectives

Volunteers of the CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois grubbing-up Japanese knotweed along the path
Volunteers grubbing-up Japanese knotweed

The second version of the environmental management scheme covers the period 2007–2012. It presents the knowledge, management, monitoring and vulgarization objectives.[42]

The preservation of the existing diversity was the most important goal.[70] It required conservation of the heritage plant communities: tall-herb fen with common butterbur, the chasmophytic vegetation with hart's-tongue fern and the woody fringe Lathyro sylvestris – Astragaletum glycyphylli. The survival of populations of round-leaved wintergreen[71] and of man orchid, the two most interesting plants, was also a priority, as a strikeout against brush invasion in the open areas where bee orchid and pyramidal orchid grow. The natural forest dynamics are to be contained within areas of clear undergrowth or fringes with these species: common spotted orchid, zigzag clover and lesser butterfly-orchid.[72] Pioneer areas with mushrooms should be preserved[73] and the invasive species contained.[74] Artificial infrastructures (ruin, concrete pylons, walls and rock piles) should be utilized for the creation of new habitats.[67]

The education, interpretation and promotion of local heritage missions should also be continued,[75] while the fauna knowledge was to be developed and floristic monitoring provided.[76]

Its flowers resemble a human figure. The head is formed by the petals and sepals, and the suspended torso and limbs by the lobes of the labellum.
Man orchid
 
White little bell-shaped flowers.
Round-leaved wintergreen
 
Inflorescence is dense pyramid-shaped
Pyramidal orchid
 
The labellum has purple stripes, the two lateral lobes are remote and shorter than the median lobe.
Common spotted orchid
 

Assessment of the activities

Evaluation is in progress. However, a partial analysis is already underway.[77]

Activities carried out

The Bavay's municipality has erected two barriers to prohibit access to motorized vehicles.[78] Volunteers and employees of the CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois manage the site regularly.[79]

Management of the diversity

Manual removal of the Japanese knotweed has preserved heritage stations of common butterbur and hart's-tongue fern.[80] Early hand pruning was conducive to orchids. The late mowing seems rather ineffective. The grubbing-up of the Canada golden-rod and American asters was successful. The bush clearing and selective logging have helped maintain the wood-fringe with narrow-leaved everlasting-pea and liquorice milkvetch. Common spotted orchid, zigzag clover and lesser butterfly-orchid, species non-adapted to open areas, benefited areas without clearing. The low dry-stone walls probably favored the installation of viviparous lizard or common wall lizard, observed in 2013, but also the consolidation of the hart's-tongue fern population.[81]

This graph shows the fall in numbers of man orchid from 2006 to 2012
Evolution of the size of population of man orchid.
The young seedlings of man orchid are protected from rabbits and hares by protective tubes.
Protective device of man orchid seedlings.

From 2007 to 2012, the number of round-leaved wintergreen footage increased by 50 percent.[82] On the other hand, those of man orchid fall suddenly and continually. Whereas 27 plants were counted in 2003, the number reached a peak of 240 in 2006 with the uprooting of the wood small-reed, before collapsing to 13 plants in 2012, despite the continued management. The observation of gnawed seedlings can assume leaf consumption by herbivores. Protection against rodents was established in 2013 and will be evaluated at flowering.[83]

On this site, 171 plant species are surveyed. Given its size and poor soil, this diversity is notable.[84] Management undertaken in recent years has been essential to maintaining open areas, the most threatened by primary succession. Thus, the various vegetation layers (pioneer and mature woodland, bushy areas, open areas) provide a mosaic of habitats, and thus remarkable species.[85]

Improved knowledge of flora and fauna

Besides heritage plants monitoring, an additional inventory of Orthoptera is being undertaken; three new species were identified in 2013: common pheasant, Eurasian siskin and common wall lizard. Fourteen new plants were also identified.[84] Inventories of bats and mushrooms are being carried out by partners.[86]


Education, interpretation and promotion of local heritage

Some persons observe a protected plant
Guided outing in the site.

Guided outing and participatory management sessions are regularly held with the public[87] or agricultural colleges, including invasive species managing. The heritage interpretation site has yet to be finalized.[88]

New opportunities

Interreg micro projects, established in February 2012, resulted in methodological exchanges on the management of reserves between two Belgian associations Réserves naturelles et ornithologiques de Belgique and Natagora.[89]

A new environmental management scheme is now under consideration.[90]

Bibliography

Studies of the reserve

The following documents are available from the operator: CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois.

History of quarry and geology

Ecology and management

Other references

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ The Carrière des Nerviens's site is 4.5 hectares (11 acres). But only the property of the CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois is classified of the regional nature reserve; the parcels belonging to other owners were not classified.
  2. ↑ The activity is already attested in 1881: "À 100 mètres du pont du chemin de fer, dans une prairie située en face de l'usine de M. Levent, on exploite les psammites du Condros (...)".[9] However, it seems to be later than 1879 because the same author then wrote: "Le dernier affleurement de psammites visible le long du ruisseau de Bavai, se trouve dans une grande prairie en face de l'usine de M. Levent."[10]
  3. ↑ The Association française pour l'avancement des sciences wrote that in the Bavay quarry ""Le travail est le même qu'à Watissart et les matériaux extraits sont identiques et classés de la même façon",[11] the work is the same and extracted materials are identical and classified in the same way as at the Watissart quarry located in Jeumont.[13]
  4. ↑ In France, an environmental management scheme is defined by the Code de l'environnement (article R332-43). A scientific council must validate it to obtain or maintain the accreditation.
  5. ↑ These quarried rocks are no longer visible on the site, as they were fully covered by embankments.
  6. ↑ Some geologists also call those sandstones psammite
  7. ↑ The ecological units have been classified by Phytosociology.
  8. ↑ The heritage value of the plants is defined by the inventory of the vascular flora of the Nord-Pas de Calais[40]
  9. ↑ The lizard orchid (Himantoglossum hircinum) has not been seen in the reserve since 2003.
  10. ↑ The Regional Red List was established by Régis Courtecuisse in 1997 and published in Cryptogamie, Mycologie, 18, no 3, pp. 183–219 ISSN 0181-1584
  11. ↑ Trichoglossum hirsutum is vulnerable in the Regional Red List. This species likes moist and mossy grassy places.
  12. ↑ Hebeloma clavulipes was identified for the first time in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. It was therefore not included in the Red List of 1997. It is an extomycorhizic species of willows in the reserve.
  13. ↑ ZNIEFF is an acronym for Zone Naturelle d'Intérêt Écologique, Faunistique et Floristique, natural area of ecological, faunal and floral interest. The designation of a ZNIEFF is essentially based on the presence of species or groups of species with high heritage value
  14. ↑ ZNIEFF type 1, of small size, are environmentally homogeneous spaces and have at least one species and / or rare or threatened habitat of local and regional, national or community interest, or they are spaces of great interest in the functioning of the local ecology.
  15. ↑ ZNIEFF type 2 are very rich natural sets, or slightly modified, which provide important biological potential. They may include ZNIEFF type 1 and have a functional role and an ecological and landscape coherence.

References

  1. 1 2 Réserves naturelles de France 2012
  2. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 19
  3. 1 2 CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 27
  4. 1 2 CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 18
  5. 1 2 CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 21
  6. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 22
  7. ↑ Rhind 2010
  8. 1 2 European Commission 2013, p. 78
  9. 1 2 3 Ladrière 1881, p. 154
  10. 1 2 Ladrière 1879, p. 9.
  11. 1 2 Association française pour l'avancement des sciences 1909, p. 280
  12. ↑ Association française pour l'avancement des sciences 1909, p. 281
  13. ↑ Association française pour l'avancement des sciences 1909, pp. 277–280
  14. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 12
  15. ↑ Bissey 2003
  16. ↑ Conseil Régional Nord-Pas-de-Calais 2009
  17. ↑ Bromwich 2013, p. 39
  18. ↑ Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières 2013
  19. 1 2 Boulvain & Pingot 2011, p. 72
  20. ↑ Copper 2010
  21. ↑ Luc Van Bellingen 2013
  22. ↑ Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières 1972, p. 8
  23. ↑ National Stratigraphic Commission Belgium 2013
  24. ↑ Luc Van Bellingen 2013
  25. ↑ Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières 1972, pp. 8–9
  26. ↑ Ladrière 1905, p. 260
  27. ↑ Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières 1972, pp. 3–4
  28. ↑ Boulvain & Pingot 2011, pp. 125–126
  29. ↑ Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières 1972, p. 3
  30. 1 2 Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières 1972, p. 2
  31. ↑ Cornet 1899, pp. CCXI–CCXII
  32. ↑ Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières 1972, p. 4
  33. ↑ Julve 2003
  34. ↑ European Commission 2013, p. 96
  35. ↑ Duhamel & Catteau 2010, p. 50
  36. ↑ Duhamel & Catteau 2010, p. 56
  37. 1 2 3 4 INPN 2013
  38. ↑ Duhamel & Catteau 2010, p. 70
  39. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 35
  40. ↑ Toussaint 2011
  41. 1 2 INPN 2013
  42. 1 2 CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, pp. 92–104
  43. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 33
  44. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 32
  45. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 58
  46. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 60
  47. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 62
  48. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 55
  49. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 68
  50. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 66
  51. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 45
  52. ↑ République française 1991
  53. ↑ Lecron 2013
  54. ↑ Lecron, Toussaint & Hauguel 2013
  55. ↑ Lecuru & Courtecuisse 2004
  56. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 71
  57. 1 2 3 CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 75
  58. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 73
  59. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 38
  60. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 39
  61. ↑ GON, SfO et CFR 2012
  62. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 40
  63. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 39
  64. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 79
  65. 1 2 CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 83
  66. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 95
  67. 1 2 3 CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 96
  68. 1 2 3 Haouat 2013, p. 52
  69. ↑ Muller 2004, pp. 34–37
  70. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 80
  71. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 92
  72. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 93
  73. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, p. 94
  74. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, pp. 95–96
  75. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, pp. 97–99
  76. ↑ CPIE Bocage de l'Avesnois 2007, pp. 99–100
  77. ↑ Haouat 2013, pp. 46–75
  78. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 55
  79. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 59
  80. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 67
  81. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 68
  82. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 72
  83. ↑ Haouat 2013, pp. 72–73
  84. 1 2 Haouat 2013, p. 80
  85. ↑ Haouat 2013, pp. 80–81
  86. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 74
  87. ↑ La Voix du Nord 2010
  88. ↑ Haouat 2013, p. 57
  89. ↑ Swinnen 2012, pp. 4–5
  90. ↑ Haouat 2013
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