Several ornithologists have carried out bird counts at around thirty observation posts between Gard and Fos-sur-Mer.
At the Mourgues du Grès belvedere, located between Beaucaire and Bellegarde, several birds hover above the plain on this Sunday, November 24 morning. The expert eye of Jean-Pierre Trouillas, president of the Gard ornithology center, recognizes the bird of prey: it is a red kite. “You can see it by its red tail, shaped like a triangle”he specifies. A species particularly attracted to the riparian forest of the Rhône. But now, this bird which is protected, like all other birds, is threatened by the chosen route of the very high voltage line (THT) between Fos-sur-Mer and Jonquières-Saint-Vincent, according to the ornithologist. “They plan to install pylons which should reach 60 to 80 meters high, with around twenty lines between each pylon. The problem is that the red kite, for example, hunts at height. It would therefore find itself at hunt at line height risking electrocution or hitting the lines”he emphasizes.
A real strategic corridor for migration
And the red kite is not the only one affected. This Sunday, in addition to the raptor, Jean-Pierre Trouillas observed nearly ten species and a hundred birds in just one hour. If the gulls were the most present, rollers and bee-eaters from Europe migrated a few weeks ago. “Then throughout the year, we will also have black swifts, kestrels, common cranes, storks… We are in a real strategic corridor for the migration of birds which leave from northern Europe towards Africa”insists the expert. A count which was carried out on around thirty observation posts in total, all located on the route of the future THT line (400,000 volts) which extends over 65 km. An action organized by Naccica and CoGard.
“In England, all high voltage lines are buried”
The objective for these specialists is to show the impact of this project on migratory species. “We are not against the idea of decarbonizing Fos-sur-Mer, but planting pylons on landscapes like ours makes no sense. Especially since we are offering alternatives with landfilling”insists Luc Perrin, member of Asta (association for the preservation of the Land of Argence) and municipal councilor in Beaucaire. However, burial was deemed too costly for RTE, transport network manager and project leader. “It may be cheaper at the start, but on arrival, when the pylons will have to be maintained in the event of an incident, it will quickly costinsists François Collard, winegrower and owner of the land where the counting is carried out. And in England, all high voltage lines are buried. So it’s possible.” In total, over the morning, several dozen species of birds were recorded by the various ornithologists.
An impact on agrotourism
During this count, some farmers also came to denounce the impact on their activity. Among them, Paul Collard, vice-president of the Young Farmers of Beaucaire and arborist: “The people who come to buy our products have a certain image of Costières de Nîmes. These pylons will distort the place”he emphasizes. Like him, Gaël Briez, producer of essential oils at Un Mas en Provence, fears a drop in his turnover. In fact, one of the pylons is planned at the foot of its operation in Bellegarde. “And our visits to the farmhouse and the distillery attract nearly 10,000 visitors each year, the vast majority of whom are foreign tourists. These pylons risk deterring more than one person”he worries.
