By developing the forest’s external space with a plant envelope, the project intends to increase plant and animal diversity, and ensure the preservation of the forest biotope against the effects of global warming.
Located in the district of Nyon, in the foothills of the Jura, the municipality of Burtigny overlooks Lake Geneva at an altitude of 750 metres. A farming and forestry village, Burtigny is surrounded by fields, woodland and forests.
As the interface between the "closed" forest and the "open" farmland or meadows, forest edges are home to many animal and plant species associated with these two habitats. They also enable wildlife to move through the area, linking biotopes and acting as areas of retreat. By regularly maintaining forest edges, important networking functions are enhanced along them, as well as within the forest and on farmland.
The aim of the "Fruit-producing edges of the Grandes Tattes forest" project is to revitalise the edges of the 200-hectare forest in the commune of Burtigny over a period of several years. In the long term, this revitalisation will recreate a natural forest rich in shrub species. By developing the forest's external space with a plant envelope, the project intends to increase plant and animal diversity, and ensure the preservation of the forest biotope against the effects of global warming. Notably, the project includes the reintroduction of ancient species of fruit trees, the produce of which is used as food by insects, birds and small mammals.
