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N°12 - May 2020

 

We are living an unprecedented period. Although the coronavirus crisis is serious and we are unable to foresee all the consequences it will have on our societies, it also allows us to imagine a new world more respectful of biodiversity! These past weeks have shown us our weaknesses, our reliance on nature, the importance of social ties and solidarity. Hoping that this letter finds you in good health, the Friends of Tour du Valat wish you a good read.

The Tour du Valat in the hours of the coronavirus


Usually filled with vehicles for employees and visitors, the main courtyard of the farmhouse is now empty ... Most of Tour du Valat’s employees continued their activities while working from home.

 

Many activities canceled


With the coronavirus, many activities organized by the Friends of Tour du Valat and Marais du Verdier had to be canceled.

 

This was the case with all our outings organised for April as well as certain events such as the Transition Festival or the Camargue festival. Unfortunately, we will not be able to maintain the seminar planned in May either.

 

Our team is actively working to contact contributors and is preparing for post-lockdown outings.

 
(c) festival Camargue

A special interview with Jamy

 

We took advantage of this period when everyone is at home to interview Jamy Gourmaud (emblematic presenter of the shows "C’est Pas Sorcier" and "Le Monde De Jamy”). He confided his vision of the crisis to us and shared his tricks on the popularisation of science. The production of the video is in progress.

 

Stay connected and be the first to watch the video in our youtube channel.

 

Act with us

 

You want to invest in the Association of Friends but do not know how to do it? It’s now very easy to give us a boost according to your desires and our needs thanks to the volunteer sheets that can be downloaded from our website.
 

You will find out how to help us to:
- create entertainment to suit all ages and preferences during events
- organize reunion events with members of the Friends
- propose activities and seminars organized by the association
- become an ambassador of the association
- and other small actions possible from time to time.

For now, these sheets are only available in french. But we always need volunteers to translate our website, letters and a bunch of others documents! The association is only alive thanks to your investment and your support. Thank you so much!
 

And the winner is …

 

Josiane Glaudin won our photo competition this year! For the first time, the grand prize is awarded to a woman. Like every year, the exhibition, which brings together the 15 best images from the photo contest "water in all its forms", will wander throughout the year 2020 across the territory and will raise awareness, in its own way, on the beauty of wetlands.

 

To find out the prize list and discover the exhibition, visit our site.

 

Oops ! … I Did It Again

Forgot to renew your membership? No problem, just click on the below buttons

 

Frédéric Thomas

Frédéric Thomas is CNRS research director at the Infectious Diseases and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control laboratory (Mivegec) and also a long-time member of our association. In 2019, he published The Abominable Secret of Cancer in the “what's new in science?"

When did you first come to Tour du Valat and what was the occasion?

I came to Tour du Valat for the first time in the summer of 1993, I was 23. A naturalist friend passing through the South, Pierre Yésou, also a friend of Jean-Paul Taris, was invited to give a seminar on gulls following a mission in the Taïmyr plains . As I was doing an internship near Montpellier, Pierre said to me: "you should come to my seminar, this will be an opportunity for you to discover Tour du Valat". Following Pierre’s presentation, Jean-Paul offered to stay for dinner with them… it was the beginning of a real turning point in my life as a biologist.

 

 

What was your first impression?

During this dinner with Jean-Paul, I was amazed to hear him talk about the activities of Tour du Valat. For the young naturalist and scientist that I was, I didn't even think that a place like Tour du Valat could exist, a dream, and Jean-Paul talked about it so well! It was late, and after a good dinner (and drinks), it was not reasonable for me to hit the road. Jean-Paul said to me: "No, no, you are staying at Tour du Valat and since I get up very early tomorrow to work, I will wake you up too and you will be on time". Around 6:00 am, we had breakfast together and discussed the possibilities of an internship at Tour du Valat for the following summer. I left feeling "different", with only one desire: to fast forward to the next summer! I had regular conversations with Jean-Paul until the summer of 1994. The two months of internship the following summer lived up to my expectations, and since then, I have never grown apart from Tour du Valat. My thesis was co-directed by Tour du Valat, my post-doc in New Zealand funded largely by Luc Hoffmann, and back home, Tour du Valat offered me another post-doc, on herons with Heinz Hafner. Many years later, in 2017, it was an honor and a great emotion for me to be invited to be the speaker at the "Heinz Hafner" conference.

 

 

What is your best memory at the Tour du Valat ?

One morning around 5.30 am, at the very beginning of spring, we were with Heinz in a reed bed searching for herons’ nests using an aerial photo taken a few days before. We were wearing wading boots. Heinz preceded me, excited like a young undergraduate student at the thought of finding the first nests of the season, and as we progressed in the reed bed, he turned slowly and said to me in a low voice "it's going to overflow". Damn, it was true, after a few more meters we had very cold and brown water up to our chests! But a nice surprise awaited us, there was indeed a gray heron's nest with eggs. It was my first nest! When we got back in the car, we were soaked but in the end it made us laugh, and we were especially happy to be at the start of a great field season that started off strong!

 

What was your best meeting at the Tour du Valat ?

Hard to say! I had so much admiration for all Tour du Valat researchers, Jean-Paul, and of course Luc. I also loved the friendliness of everyone present this summer of 1994, as well as the excellent food and atmosphere of the canteen. It was also during this summer of 1994 that I met Frank Cézilly, who later became my co-supervisor and friend. When I look at page 85 of the book in tribute to Alan (A life devoted to birds), there is a photo that reminds me of this incredible period. My best encounter at Tour du Valat is them, all together.

 

What emblematic species of the Camargue do you prefer ?

As a naturalist, I love the whole Camargue and all of the animal and plant species that inhabit it. I admit, however, that I have a soft spot for two bird species. I felt great joy when I saw collared pratincoles for the first time, thanks to Yves Kayser: elegance in its purest form! The other species that I like very much for its appearance and its singular biology is the slender-billed gull.

 

Why did you join the Association of Friends of the Tour du Valat ?

It’s just so obvious to me. The Tour du Valat has brought me so much and influenced my scientific path and reasoning. Each time I come to Tour du Valat, as soon as I get on the way, I have a deep feeling of happiness, well-being and the certainty of finding what I love: Science, Conservation and Friendship. Being a member of the association is also the opportunity to interact with people with whom I necessarily have a common point and bond. As I often say to Jean and Patrick, if I too can help Tour du Valat, don't hesitate to ask me, it will always be with great pleasure. Finally, being a member is also a way for me to show my support and admiration for this incredible adventure launched by Luc 66 years ago. May it live on and continue its action in favor of wetlands!

 

Do you have any advice or messages to pass on to future generations who will might visit Tour du Valat ?

Enjoy this wonderful chapter, soak up the Tour du Valat, its culture and its values. Whatever your path thereafter, support the Tour du Valat in its actions for the protection of nature, the planet needs it so badly.

 

News from the Tour du Valat

    A Ramsar platform to foster a resilient economy focused on preserving nature


    The Tour du Valat has initiated a reflection in this direction within the framework of the Ramsar France association for wetlands, which has resulted in a forum led by MPs, in particular Frédérique Tuffnell and Jérôme Bignon, as well as the main networks of French protected areas. This forum calls for the construction of an economy fully accounting for climate and biodiversity. "The respite that the planet experiences while we are in lockdown must not turn into suspended sentence." This way to read the tribune.

    and that way to have access to a new article written by Tour du Valat researchers demonstrating the effectiveness of Ramsar sites in protecting waterbirds wintering in the Mediterranean.

     

    The best recipe for making a flamingo nest


    On February 13th, the flamingo team, helped by volunteers including Friends of Tour du Valat led a one-day project to build several hundred nests for flamingos.
    In this video, we invite you to discover how to build the best flamingo nest possible. Unfortunately, our efforts were not enough for the flamingos to settle in the Fangassier lagoon, the water level being too low to ensure the safety of the colony from predators.

     

     

     

    Standing up for wetlands in Davos

     

    The main threats to the world economy are linked to environmental degradation - What if Nature holds a large part of the solutions?

    This year’s Davos World Economic Forum was themed "Actors for a united and sustainable world". Tour du Valat attended to defend nature-based solutions as a relevant response to the challenges of the 21st century. During this Forum, Tour du Valat notably organized an event entitled "Wetlands, solutions based on nature for a sustainable Mediterranean basin". To find out more : the press release
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     Papers and publications

     All the work carried out by Tour du Valat can be found at the following address:

    http://tourduvalat.centredoc.fr/rss.php?id=30

     

     

    Follow us on our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram . The brochure presenting the Association, including the membership form, can be downloaded here.

     

    For any information or suggestions, contact us at +33(0)4 90 97 29 79 or amis@tourduvalat.org

     
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