Developing tools to improve grassland management in two French grassland (intensive and extensive), to comply with water framework directive

In France about 45% of the agricultural area is devoted to forage production, of which about 68% is permanent grasslands (mountains and lowlands) and 19% is temporary grasslands, generally associatedwith maize silage on dairy farms. Grasslands are often considered as beneficial for water quality, linked to their i) permanent soil cover and well-developed rhizosphere that provide a buffer for water quality;ii) frequently riparian location within a catchment and their border vegetation (e.g., hedgerows); and iii) usual management with moderate levels of nutrient input and no pesticides, enabling them to diluteand regulate diffuse pollution. The real situation, however, is more diverse and complex: intensively grazed grasslands can generate diffuse pollution, and poor management of wetlands, riparian zones andwatercourses can occur in all types of cattle farms and affect ecosystem health and biodiversity.Our analysis of the relationships between aquatic-ecosystem quality and grassland management will be based on two contrasting French grassland systems (intensive in Brittany and extensive in an alpine region)1) to evaluate the need for a specific set of best management practices and 2) to discuss the placement and management of grasslands for more sustainable dairy production. The low effectiveness and acceptabilityof some scientific and policy tools (models, decision support tools) that aim to maintain grassland areas and protect water resources will be discussed to determine how to increase the ability of livestock systemsto comply with the Water Framework Directive