[DREAL OCCITANIA] PNA Grand Tetras in Occitania — Global Area of Presence

The National Action Plans for Threatened Species are one of the policies put in place by the Ministry of the Environment to try to stop the erosion of biodiversity. They are codified in Article L.414-9 of the Environmental Code: ‘National action plans for the conservation or recovery of the species referred to in Articles L. 411-1 and L. 411-2 and of species of pollinating insects shall be drawn up and, after consultation with the public, implemented on the basis of the data of the competent scientific institutes where justified by the biological situation of those species. These plans take into account economic, social and cultural requirements as well as the imperatives of national defence. Information on the actions provided for in the plans shall be disseminated to the interested public; the prescribed information shall also be available to them throughout the duration of the plans, in the relevant geographical areas. A decree shall specify, where necessary, the detailed rules for the application of this Article.’ In France, there are 2 genetically and ecologically well differentiated subspecies, Tetrao urogallus aquitanicus in the Pyrenees and Tetrao urogallus major in the Vosges and Jura. The Great Tetras is the largest of the tetraonids and the one with the most pronounced sexual dimorphism. The male or rooster cannot be confused with its imposing size, large tail and dark plumage. The female or hen, on the other hand, merges with the surrounding environment thanks to its plumage dominated by the red, chamarated with brown and white. The Grand Tétras is polygamous, they gather in the spring on traditional arenas or singing places that drain from 2 to 10 cocks (exceptionally up to 30). The hen after mating with the dominant rooster, takes care of the brood (puncture on the ground) and the rearing of the nest which ends at the end of August. Emblematic species of mountain forests, it mainly occupies the resinous mountain chips up to 2 400 m in the Pyrenees. The occupied forests are characterised by moderate cover of the woodland and shrub layers that allow large herbaceous or ericaceous beaches to develop. They are typically old pedders, beech trees or pine groves, or with hooks growing on poor soils. The Pyrenean subspecies can also occupy very little forest habitats (mountain and subalpine heaths and meadows), particularly during laying and rearing young. Highly demanding on the quality of its habitat, the Great Tearfish uses, depending on the season, sites that meet its current vital needs and the behavioural traditions of the local population (wintering, parade, breeding sites). It is very important to know these “vital sites” in order to conserve, improve and practice the various counts for population monitoring. To this end, the Observatory of the Galliformes de Montagne and its partners (ONCFS, ONF, FDC, Parks and Reserves, associations) carry out an expert mapping of the global presence of the great tetras and these vital sites throughout the Pyrenees. Updated every 5 or 10 years, it consists of 4 layers of information a “global presence” layer that encompasses all areas used by the species during its annual cycle. This layer is public. 3 layers specifying the vital sites: areas of nesting and rearing of young people, ii) wintering areas, iii) singing places. These layers, due to the sensitivity of the data, are not provided here, but can be requested from the Observatory of Mountain Galliformes. It should be noted that the absence of data does not mean the absence of the species. Indeed, it is impossible to distinguish between a lack of data related to the lack of prospecting (or data retrieval) and a lack of data linked to a genuine absence of the species.