The 50th anniversary of the introduction of the mouflon to the Caroux (Hérault) massif: from naturalistic experiment to land management and the development of a resource

vjince its introduction in the Caroux massif in 1956, the mouflon has flourished, with the number of animals and the extent of the area frequented by them increasing steadily. The mouflon has become an emblematic image for a massif that lends itself to hiking, climbing and swimming, attracting some 200 000 visitors each year. It also represents an economic resource thanks to guide-accompanied hunting, an activity introduced and managed by the GIEC (Groupement d'intérêt environnemental et cynégétique), a game hunting and environmental group.

The increase in the mouflon population, however, has also occurred at the same time as the spontaneous reforestation of former pastoral areas. More numerous, less able to find suitable pastures in their original territory, increasingly in competition with the expanding population of wild boar and roe deer, and sometimes disturbed by hikers, mouflon have therefore begun to frequent a wider area, moving towards the peripheral areas of the massif where they cause damage to gardens, vineyards and orchards.

The challenge is one of managing an area used for many different purposes and involving many different partners and that is protected in different ways depending on the sector: Natural hunting and wildlife reserve (Réserve Naturelle de Chasse et de Faune Sauvage), strict biological reserve, areas covered by biotope protection orders, listed site, etc. Several groups of actors are involved in the massif, responsible for the organisation of tourism, the management of heathland, peat land and forests, and the regulation of the mouflon population. The main structures concerned are State departments (National Forestry Service (Office National des Forêts), National Hunting and Wildlife Service (Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage), municipalities, EPCI (inter-municipal cooperation bodies) and local authorities, but other partners, scientists, associations, hunting associations, and the tourism services sector also have to be taken into account.

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Journal of alpine research 2006 N°4