HECTAR has agreed to host a 27-hectare biodiversity restoration project run by Biotope on its pilot farm. To find out more about the ecological compensation process, we spoke to Benjamin Colin, project manager and ecologist. Click on the link in the comments to read his interview.
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What is Biotope?
Biotope is an environmental consultancy specializing in biodiversity. We operate mainly in France, with a significant international presence in Europe, Africa and South America. Biotope offers 5 main types of mission: environmental studies, consultancy, training, publishing and communication.
Environmental studies are Biotope's core business. They call on our naturalist expertise: identifying species in the field and learning about their characteristics, their way of life, their role in the ecosystem... We work in part for developers whose development projects are likely to have an impact on the environment, and more specifically on biodiversity and ecosystems. We then carry out a field diagnosis to determine the species present and the ecological issues at stake, before assessing the possible impacts of the project and proposing measures to avoid, reduce and, as a last resort, compensate for these impacts. These studies are carried out on a local scale, to assess the impact of a project on the local area.
What's your mission at Hectar?
At Hectar, we have just restored 27 hectares of biodiversity to help one of our customers offset the impacts generated by the creation of a new neighborhood, in accordance with regulations. We carried out the impact study for this project and, despite the application of avoidance and reduction measures, residual impacts persisted: a compensatory need was therefore defined. We therefore determined how much biodiversity needed to be restored before looking for potential sites. We then identified an opportunity at Hectar, which was the most relevant site according to our search criteria, which included geographical and ecological proximity. The aim is to have an equivalence between what has been impacted and what is gained in terms of biodiversity. To achieve this, there is a regulatory framework set by the 2016 Law for the Reconquest of Biodiversity, Nature and Landscapes.
How is the project unfolding?
Once we had identified the site and obtained Hectar's agreement to carry out the eligibility studies for ecological compensation, we launched an ecological diagnosis, to see what the levels of ecosystem functionality were and assess the possible gains. We then devised measures to restore and increase biodiversity on these 27 hectares, while enabling Hectar to maintain its desired agricultural activity.
Hectar and Biotope have worked together at length to create a project that is both agricultural and ecological. Following the study and planning phases, work will begin in autumn 2024.
They will involve restoring 20 hectares of grazed wet meadows and creating 7 hectares of hedges, copses and ponds, in place of field crops.
Archipel, a company founded by Biotope and SAFER Île-de-France (Société d'aménagement foncier et d'établissement rural), will manage the restoration work. Once the work is complete, long-term ecological monitoring will be carried out.
What kind of companies do you work with?
Our customers are not necessarily companies, but also local authorities, public bodies, the State... On the private side, we can work with renewable energy companies developing wind farms or photovoltaic parks, for example, and developers for the construction of buildings. We also work with companies whose core business is not related to development, but who may occasionally need to build offices, premises or factories: as project owners, they will be subject to the regulations. We also work with any type of company wishing to make a voluntary commitment to biodiversity, for example as part of a CSR policy, via our consulting service.
Indeed, environmental regulations are often perceived as a constraint for companies, whereas they are also an asset, since our economic activities are based directly or indirectly on biodiversity. It's vital that companies understand their dependence on biodiversity and make the most of it.
And on the other side of the chain, do you only compensate on agricultural land?
France comprises 52% agricultural land*: compensation areas are often located in these areas, as they are the most available surfaces in the country. This is also the case in the Île-de-France region. It's also a question of ease and speed for project developers, as ecological restoration is less complex and less costly than in areas that have already been concreted over. But with the emergence of food sovereignty issues, practices are becoming increasingly regulated. Biotope works regularly with SAFERs, particularly those in the Île-de-France and Normandy regions, via the Archipel company, with the aim of preventing land speculation on agricultural land, and returning land to agriculture through ecological compensation, helping to secure the economic models of diversifying farmers. We work closely with farmers to ensure that ecological compensation measures fit in with their activities, and that compensation sites are perpetuated by local players.
Are farmers paid?
We're not talking about remuneration, but compensation. For the farmer, the project promoter will compensate for the loss of profitability, for example due to late mowing reducing the forage value, and for the landowner, an occupation indemnity will be paid as he will not be able to use his site or change its use as he wishes during the period of commitment to the measures.
Is it up to the farmer to set up and maintain the biodiversity infrastructures designed by Biotope?
The project owner is obliged to finance the work and management, as this is his compensation, but he doesn't necessarily carry it out himself if he doesn't have the skills: he can then call in a third-party company or pay the farmer for the work done. For the Hectar project, the pilot farm team will sow the meadows and manage them by grazing, but for the creation and subsequent management of ecological features such as ponds and hedges, the project owner will contract out the work to construction and landscaping companies.
Can you give us some examples of biodiversity offset projects you've carried out?
At Hectar, the aim is to restore wetlands, which are no longer waterlogged, by restoring wet meadows, ponds and reedbeds, which will be laid out in a mosaic with hedgerows.
On my own scale, I've recently carried out other similar projects in an agricultural context: the actions then often consisted of creating meadows, hedges and shelters for wildlife, as here, but they must always be precisely adapted to the target species, the characteristics and context of the site, and the expectations of the owners and farmers. The agricultural use of these meadows can vary according to these parameters: mowing, more or less light grazing by horses, cattle or sheep, beekeeping... We have also compensated for forest biodiversity by planting and improving existing woodlands (adapting management, creating ponds, clearings...).
The wide range of Biotope's areas of expertise enables us to intervene in favor of many types of environment and species, but it is important to remember that certain elements of biodiversity cannot be offset for technical reasons.
Is the distance between the project site and the compensation zone subject to any regulations?
There is no maximum distance, but regulations require that the compensation zone be as close as possible to the impact, in terms of geographical distance but above all ecological functions: if the two sites do not belong to the same ecological network, the project is no longer relevant. This is a different logic from that of carbon credits, which are currently less regulated and where offsetting can be carried out on a global scale, since we're talking about global pollution. In terms of biodiversity, it makes no sense to offset one ecosystem with another that is different and distant. Biotope ensures that each project is both legally acceptable and locally coherent.
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*Source: "La France et ses territoires" study published by INSEE in 2021.
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