Carine HEITZ1, Géraldine FLINOIS1,2, Sandrine GLATRON2 1Irstea-GESTE, France; 2LIVE-CNRS, France

1. Protection against muddy floods:
Perception of fascines for local
actors in Alsace (France)
C. Heitz, G. Flinois, S. Glatron
IDRC, Davos, August 2012
Pour mieux
affirmer
ses missions,
le Cemagref
devient Irstea
www.irstea.fr

2. 2
1) Muddy floods in Alsace and their management
DAMAGES DUE TO MUDDY FLOODS
Need to set up measures of
protection
In France: 2 kinds of measures (at different scale and cost)
- collective measures : dams, land use planning, retention ponds, …
Public area
Private area - individual measures : reduced tillage, fascines, …

3. 3
1) Muddy floods in Alsace and their management
WHAT ARE THE FASCINES ?
Small protection made with woods / Setting up directly in the fields
and private areas
 Their implementation need the farmers’ agreement and depend
on their willingness
 How do the farmers perceive this kind of measure ?
SURVEYS BY USING
QUESTIONNAIRES
- To measure the level of knowledge (concerning the fascines) of the farmers
- To identify their willingness / reluctance to set up fascines
- To identify how we could improve the promotion of this system

4. 4
Example of a fascine setting up in the Bas-Rhin

5. 5
2) Methodology of the surveys
WHAT KIND OF SURVEY? WHAT KIND OF ADMINISTRATION?
• 38 questions (20 minutes)
• Different kind of questions (classification, speeches,…)
• Pre-test evaluation (5)
• April-May 2011
The concept of « risk »
Muddy floods and processes
How to manage the risk
of muddy floods? - setting up of the fascines
- maintenance
- durability
The fascines - cost
- integration in the landscape
- strains

6. 6
2) Methodology of the surveys
WHAT KIND OF SURVEY? WHAT KIND OF ADMINISTRATION?

7. 7
2) Methodology of the surveys
STUDIED AREAS
• The villages have been chosen
according to their level of exposure to
muddy floods risk
• 5 villages (Bas-Rhin)
• Ettendorf
• Hohatzenheim
• Brumath
• Eckwersheim
• Lampertheim
• 41 farmers (by making an
appointement)
• 32 persons accepted
• 5 refusals
• 4 intouched persons

8. 8
3) Results: willingness and restreints to set up fascines
in the fields
THE MAIN WILLINGNESS
- The setting up of fascines is quick : « emergency solution »
- High visibility of this measure:
«… it shows that the farmers have done something, that they are involved in
the management of muddy floods »
confidence
visibility
Answer to the question : « How do you think that the inhabitants perceive the fascines setting
up in the municipality? » (N= 32)

9. 9
3) Results: willingness and restreints to set up fascines
in the fields
THE MAIN RESTREINTS
- Restrictive aspects (in the way of the tractors,…)
- The fascines compared with other measures
The cost Important Medium Weak The maintenance Important Medium Weak
Hedge/blank Hedge/blank
Grass strips Grass strips
Fascines Fascines
Reduced tillage Reduced tillage
Shared crops rotation Shared crops rotation
Miscanthus Miscanthus
Efficiency against risk Important Medium Weak Integration in the Important Medium Weak
landscape
Hedge/blank Hedge/blank
Grass strips Grass strips
Fascines Fascines
Reduced tillage Reduced tillage
Shared crops rotation Shared crops rotation
Miscanthus Miscanthus
Question : « Among this list of methods used to limit the risk of muddy floods, indicate
the proposal which, according to you, qualifies them best? »

10. 10
3) Results: willingness and restreints to set up fascines
in the fields
THE MAIN RESTREINTS
Cost Maintenance
3 : important
2 : medium
1 : weak
Efficiency Integration

11. 11
3) Results: willingness and restreints to set up fascines
in the fields
THE MAIN RESTREINTS
- The lack of information for their maintenance
23 – Concerning the maintenance of the fascines?
You take care of it by our own 48%
No maintenance is necessary even if they have been used 32%
No maintenance is necessary because they have not been used 20%
You receive assistance to maintain them 0%
“We do not know who has to make it” They do not deny the necessity
“For the moment, the municipality made nothing for of maintaining the fascines, BUT:
their maintenance”  Lack of information
“I indeed want to make it but not free of charge”
 Fuzzy responsability
“Nothing says that it is under my responsibility”

12. 12
4) Discussion of the results and outlook
– The farmers agreed to set up fascines in their fields (emergency
measure, visibility and quickness)…
– … BUT their perception of this measure is little encouraging for future
setting-up (the fascines are binding and badly perceived compared with other
agronomic measures)
BUT some biases due to the questionnaire !
– There is a lack of information and communication concerning the
maintenance of the fascines
Outlook
The results are interresting for the local stakeholders (Chamber of
Agriculture and Departmental authorities):
 How the farmers perceive the information campaigns ? And how it is possible to
improve them?
 There are a lots of restreints in the setting up of fascines. How to remedy it?

13. Thank you ! 13
Carine Heitz, Géraldine Flinois, Sandrine Glatron
carine.heitz@irstea.fr
géraldine.flinois@hotmail.fr
sandrine.glatron@live-cnrs.unistra.fr

14. Annexe 1
14
Les fascines parmi d’autres mesures de lutte contre les CEB
1 = faible ; 2 = moyen ; 3 = important
Séminaire de restitution – GERHICO
1414
12 Décembre 2011

15. Annexe 2
15
Facteurs négatifs
Le manque d’information et de suivi après la mise en place : l’entretien
72%
28%
0%
90%
52%
16%
0%
0%
Séminaire de restitution – GERHICO
1517
12 Décembre 2011

16. Annexe 3 Charte d’entretien des fascines et des haies : Pas de Calais
16
Séminaire de restitution – GERHICO
12 Décembre 2011 16

17. Perspectives « méthodologiques » 18
L’intégration de nos données de perception dans une base de données physiques sur
les fascines (cf. Guillaume Valentin)
Les fascines en angle ont mieux fonctionné que les fascines droites (cf. données ‘’physiques’’)
mais ce sont aussi les plus contraignantes pour les agriculteurs (cf. données ‘’perception’’)
Séminaire de restitution – GERHICO
12 Décembre 2011 18

18. 19
3) Results: willingness and restreints to set up fascines
in the fields
THE MAIN RESTREINTS
- Restrictive aspects (in the way of the tractors,…)
Straight line – Right angle –
Side of the plot Side of the plot
Straight line –
Right angle –
Middle of the plot
Near the habitation
Straight line –
Near the habitation
What is the shape and the position of the
fascine?
Is the fascine restrictive?