Description
Damage caused by Provençal voles, red foxes and small mustelids seems to affect many farmers in the PACA region, although the numbers involved are currently unknown. On the one hand, farmers are faced with yield losses due to the presence of the Provençal vole in market gardening, arboriculture and fodder production. Poultry farmers, meanwhile, are faced with predation by red foxes and small mustelids (in particular the European weasel). Yet these predators play an important role in regulating the Provençal vole. The presence of these predators is therefore ambivalent, as it is perceived as an advantage by growers of agricultural produce, whereas it represents a disservice for poultry farmers. The latter often seem to be faced with a lack of equipment to protect against predation, or consider that the protection in place is ineffective. Conversely, some farmers have observed a decline in the number of vole-eating predators. These observations suggest the relevance of implementing a territorial approach to the hunting management of foxes and martens in order to integrate the agricultural issues inherent in the various communes of the PACA region.