The research and development project RESP’HAIES (RESilience and Performance of Agricultural Farms linked to HEDGES) took place from 2019 to 2022 with the objective of strengthening knowledge about hedges. Coordinated by Afac-Agroforesteries, this project benefited from the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.

The objectives of this project were very similar to those targeted by SAGID+:

Produce new tools and benchmarks that will be made available to farmers and all stakeholders involved in hedge-related activities (agroforestry advisors, territorial managers, educators, learners). Guide public action in favor of hedges. Through these new knowledge and tools, the ultimate goal of this project was to strengthen the establishment, sustainable management, and valorization of hedges so that they contribute to the resilience of agricultural farms and rural territories, as well as their economic, environmental, and socio-territorial performances.

More information and the results of the project are available on the RESP’HAIES project website.

The BISON project (Biodiversity and Infrastructure Synergies and Opportunities for European Transport Networks) brought together 42 partners from 17 countries.

It aimed to improve the reliability of infrastructures in the context of climate change adaptation by identifying best practices to limit, in particular, the presence of invasive exotic species and habitat fragmentation.

All information and results can be found on the project website.

The association “Synergie Plantes Invasives Grand Est”, SPIGEst aims to bring together actors from public, academic, associative, and professional spheres involved in the fight against invasive plants. The main objectives of SPIGEst are:

• to acquire new technical and scientific knowledge about these plants and their invasion strategies,
• to identify and map their areas of establishment,
• to develop effective control methods to limit the spread of these plants, which are economically sustainable and socially acceptable,
• to raise awareness and disseminate the results of its experimental work to various communities.

The work carried out within this association has notably led to the publication of a scientific article: “Ecological restoration combining mowing and competition limits the development of invasive Reynoutria japonica”.

The establishment of management partnerships for maintaining the green dependencies of linear transport infrastructures (LTIs) between infrastructure managers, local stakeholders (such as associations, farmers, conservation or training organizations), and, where applicable, landowners, can be a pragmatic and effective solution for implementing ecologically sound maintenance practices that also meet socio-economic expectations. However, partnerships remain underdeveloped to date, and existing initiatives often face viability issues.

The first objective of the project was to reflect on the conditions for creating sustainable partnerships among potential stakeholders (LTI operators, landowners, and local actors capable of managing the maintenance of green dependencies with various objectives and means). The second objective was to transform the understanding of challenges and opportunities into actionable proposals for creating effective, sustainable, and acceptable partnerships for all stakeholders. To facilitate broader adoption, the concrete aim was to develop a robust framework to guide potential partners in the co-construction of projects with clear objectives, means, and operating rules. The analysis and solution design took into account the four major types of LTIs: (auto)roads, railways, waterways, and electricity transmission lines.

The project deliverables are available at this link: ITTECOP PADDLe project.