The inventory of the fauna and flora of the golf course was carried out between 2013 and 2015 by specialists: 306 species of plants, 2 of which are rare, 103 species of invertebrates (insects and others), 5 of which are remarkable. 60 species of birds, 10 of which are endangered, and 16 species of mammals, 4 of which are threatened. The wooded, wet and rocky environments are home to the most remarkable species.

The objective of the manager of the Golf de Bossey is to improve the ecological quality of the spaces. not and little played, and to allow wildlife to move between the various natural islets of the golf course and its surroundings. In the golf course, 46 ha are dedicated to the game (tee, green, fairway, rough, bunker, tree lines and 16 ha constitute the environment of the game (high-rough, ponds, forest, rocky chaos, flowery meadows, orchard).
 

Some roughs (meadows) are only mowed once in the autumn to allow the flora and insects to complete their reproductive cycle. Now the golf team collects the cut grass because the shred fertilizes the soil and reduces the diversity of flowers such as orchids. 
 

A large embankment is now grazed by a few sheep instead of being sheared regularly. The presence of the animals favours insects which are used as food, especially the Window Swallows nesting in the nearby housing estate.

Between the trees and the meadow, an essential element was missing from the golf course landscape: groves of shrubs that are gradually being planted. Whether thorny or not, they offer their flowers to the foragers in spring, their dense foliage to the nesting birds and their berries to the hungry in winter.

The creation of heaps of wood and grass on the edge for lizards and toads, the installation of large nesting boxes for the Huppe fasciae or the anteater, small nesting boxes for chickadees which help gardeners by eating the caterpillars, the installation of bat shelters on trees are all refuges appreciated by these species.

Nearly 18 ha are occupied by forest, rows of trees and an orchard. These trees are all the more used by the fauna as they are of local species, varied, old and have ca vities in their trunks. Also, fruit trees have been planted, and 6 ha of forest are left without human intervention.

Three ponds are connected by small streams. The most natural is the Lac Noir. These are oases for aquatic plants and animals such as the Alpine newt or dragonflies. But bats also come here to hunt at night. Here the aim is to promote aquatic vegetation on the banks and in the water as it provides shelter for aquatic fauna.

As in many places, man has accidentally introduced exotic species which have the unfortunate tendency to compete with local species. In the ponds of the golf course, Florida turtles and Amur Carp have been introduced and are destroying frog nests and larvae. Elsewhere, Japanese Knotweed and Canadian Solidage are invading the high-roughs.

If the team of gardeners is working to implement these common sense nature-friendly measures, players, residents and walkers, you can all take part.

Players, by welcoming these practices which create a slightly wilder landscape, less "pruning" but which let nature into the golf course a little more.

Residents and walkers, by staying out of the playgrounds and keeping your dog on a leash.

... and everyone, by taking part in the biodiversity inventory of the golf course:
with your phone you can take a photo of a flower, an insect, a bird, a trace, an animal clue....
send it to Alain Aupècle, specifying the hole number, by SMS to +33 6 87 69 27 36 or by email to: atelier@golfbossey.com 

In this way you will help to assess the effects of the measures taken on the fauna and flora in the Gulf of Bossey.