1 Green belts in the hands and minds of farmers: A socio-agronomical

Biodiversity has dramatically decreased in the last decades: mainly because of urban sprawl and the development of intensive agriculture. In France, this topic is addressed by the “blue and green belts ” measure, which are part of the “Grenelle ” laws. The objective of this measure is to preserve or re-create paths to allow animal or vegetal species to move from one habitat to another. We carried out a research project (PASSAGES) as part of a research program funded by the French ministry in charge of ecology (DIVA 3). This project aims to analyse how the green belts measure can be implemented and especially how farming can contribute to preservation of green belts. The objectives of the research are: (i) to identify the different semi-natural elements in farming areas which can contribute to green belts, such as permanent grasslands, hedges, woods, fallows, grass strips, and isolated trees; (ii) to understand farmers ’ practices and knowledge concerning these elements and the reasons for their practices; and (iii) to point out which characteristics of farms and farmers ’ practices seem to be favourable for preservation and maintenance of semi-natural features. The methodology combined a cartographic approach to localize semi-natural elements in farming areas with an agronomical and sociological approach t