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| Grey long-eared bat © Jean-François
Schneider |
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The LIFE Program: Creation of a Biosphere Reserve Cross-border
Observatory
The Natural Resource Centre project, using the SIG (Geographical
Information Systems) tools was set up jointly by the Vosges
du Nord Regional Park and the Pfälzerwald Park with financial
support from the European Union LIFE - Environment Program.
The Natural Resource Centre's aim is to create a decision-making
tool based on detailed information on the territory, in particular
the changes taking place and the major issues to be dealt
with so as to optimise management of the Transfrontier Biosphere
Reserve as a whole.
The work of the Centre consists primarily of the collection
of information relating to the management of the area's natural
and cultural heritage and its landscapes, to be formally recorded
in geographical and statistical databases.
Its creation is an essential prerequisite for implementation
of a wide range of policies on both a local and Reserve-wide
basis. The Vosges du Nord Regional Park Observatory (SIGIS©)
and the Pfälzerwald Park thus make daily use of the data
collected in the preparation and implementation of a great
many municipal and municipal group projects, and on a Transfrontier
Reserve level.
For example, a comparison of the routes taken by walkers
with a map of the protected natural areas and areas noted
as being in need of protection, show a potential conflict
of interest in the use of the Transfrontier Reserve's forests.
In addition, the changes in the landscapes that have taken
place since 1890, as shown in the data, highlight phenomena
such as the dereliction of agricultural land in the valley
bottoms. This change in land-use led to nature reasserting
its rights and a consequent evolution in the nature of the
milieux and thus of the scenery. The Resource Centre also
provided extremely useful information for the preparation
of the Vosges du Nord Regional Park Charter and the map of
the Park.
As a result, at a municipal and municipal group council level,
considerable thought is being given to drawing up plans and
development projects for each sector, and to the analysis
and appraisal of local development projects and their potential
as a whole.
The tool's potential can be seen clearly in the range of
overall appraisals, simulations and prospective analyses that
have been produced. Given its multi-use design, it enables
the essential requirements of various human activities to
be taken into account, as well as the limits to be set for
the protection of the area's cultural and natural heritage,
thus ensuring the optimum long-term management of the Reserve.
You can download
a Geographical Data System Techniques document giving
concrete examples of actual applications of the data supplied
by the Cross-border Resource Centre (.pdf file).
You can also
display additional data from the Observatory
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