The Lower Durance Valley workshop site is located in the heart of the main horticultural production area in the PACA region, between the Alpilles and the Durance. The BVD accounts for a substantial share of national table apple production: 13% of French tonnage is produced there, making it a strategic area for this sector on a national scale.
In this 490 km² area, we monitor changes in land use and practices in apple orchards using geomatics approaches.
Since 2006, we have been conducting annual monitoring of biodiversity (pests, insects, birds), trophic regulation (predation maps), and agricultural practices in a network of commercial orchards, the number of which varies depending on the project (between 20 and 80 orchards are monitored each year).
The heterogeneity of this territory allows for the study of varied contexts in terms of both landscape and agricultural practices. The plots monitored include farming methods such as conventional agriculture, integrated fruit protection (PFI), and organic farming (AB), and are located in landscapes ranging from simple to more heterogeneous.
The long-term monitoring system consists of 20 apple orchards monitored since 2014 (SEBIOPAG network), in addition to other orchards monitored as part of specific research projects. Thus, in 2022, 80 apple orchards were monitored.
