« Ordinary » biodiversity as a bedrock of the Common Agricultural Policy

Alain Roujas - founder and animator of “La Clairiere des Insectes” - welcomes local organic farmers, students and school kids to his educational project in the Pyrenean foothills south of Toulouse. They come to learn how best to curate and to boost endemic biodiversity on farms and in household gardens. His tips encouraging farmers to create wildlife havens alongside their crops, to open up forest clearings and to maintain hedgerow networks that connect together as nature corridors.Alain, a passionate insect follower from childhood, argues for “ordinary” biodiversity, rather than higher-profile heritage species under threat, to provide the bedrock focus for environmental politics, including the Common Agricultural Policy. Without a healthy base, all species face major challenges, not just the rarest ones.