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Owing to climate change, the line of division between the two main forage producing areas in France (temperate north, south Mediterranean) is shifting rapidly upwards to the North. Adapting objectives when selecting species is indispensable. Available cultivars of Mediterranean perennial forage species that are adapted to a dry climate are rare (<2 %). In areas where the risk of drought is low, possible improvements may be achieved by making the most of longer growing seasons, selecting better adapted species and mixing species with diversified characteristics. For areas where the risk of drought is high, improvements include: developing forage plants with a high summer dormancy combined with higher productivity during rainy seasons, and looking for existing plant populations in semi-arid areas of the world.