Newsletter # 45 - June 2024 The Mediterranean Wetlands Newsletter | | The Tour du Valat turns 70! Seven decades of action and commitment, driven by a thirst for understanding and the pressing need to reconcile humans and nature. Exploring and deciphering the links between living organisms, experimenting, testing out management methods, engaging in dialogue and sharing – that is what has driven us from the very beginning. Starting as a basic biological field station in 1954, over the years the Tour du Valat has become a centre of scientific excellence, a benchmark for the management and restoration of wetlands, and a focal point for dialogue between stakeholders. Articulating the relationships between science and management and biodiversity and agriculture, it has become a pioneer in many fields: safeguarding endangered species such as the emblematic Greater Flamingo and the coveted European Eel; adaptive management and restoration of these extremely dynamic habitats; developing and facilitating mechanisms for dialogue between stakeholders and the interfaces between science and society; deploying Nature-based Solutions to respond to the challenges of rising sea levels and reconciling agriculture and biodiversity; exploring the new horizons opened up by health ecology… Beyond the scientific and technical results, what moves me most and makes me optimistic for the future is the formidable community of dedicated individuals who are constantly forging links between disciplines and building bridges between the shores of the Mediterranean. | | The catalyst for this collective action was the vision of one man, Luc Hoffmann. A vision carried forward today and adapted to meet new challenges by André Hoffmann and his sisters Vera and Maja, as well as by their children, supported by the high-level experts on the Foundation's governing bodies. Understand, Manage, Convey, Convince. These four verbs sum up how the Tour du Valat takes action. They form the basis of our reason to be, as well as the framework for our future actions. Jean Jalbert, Director General at the Tour du Valat | | | | | | | | Looking toward the future: the Tour du Valat in 2038 | | What better occasion than a birthday to think about the future?
In 2023, the Tour du Valat decided to start preparing for its 70th birthday by undertaking a 15-year forward looking analysis, sufficiently distant to allow a real opening up of possibilities, and sufficiently close to raise real decision-making issues. The aim was to provide it with a 'compass' to guide its most significant organisational and strategic choices. | | | | | Influence and impact: reaching out to new audiences | | | | | Wetlands advocacy will therefore occupy a prominent place in the various projects identified in our "Vision for 2038." But what exactly does advocacy mean for the Tour du Valat? | | | | | Study visit: welcoming our Moroccan and Tunisian partners On January 23rd and 24th 2024, the Tour du Valat is delighted to welcome its Moroccan and Tunisian partners for a study visit on the theme: “Exchanges & sharing our experience and best practices for the management and preservation of Mediterranean wetlands”. | | | | | 30 international experts gathered for a workshop dedicated to Greater flamingos On the 12th and 13th of March, La Tour du Valat hosted an international workshop dedicated to flamingos. This event brought together over 30 experts from 11 countries, facilitating the sharing of recent knowledge about flamingo colonies distributed around the Mediterranean basin, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. | | | | | Nature reserve managers reiterate their opposition to the proposed EHV overhead power line between Fos-sur-Mer and Jonquières Saint-Vincent Nature reserve management bodies (PACA Nature Area Conservancy, Tour du Valat, National Nature Protection Society, Friends of the Vigueirat Marshes, Alpilles Regional Natural Park) with Bouches-du-Rhône Chamber of Agriculture, although they fully support the ambition of an energy transition and the decarbonisation of industrial activities in order to combat climate change, are nevertheless opposed to the project for a 400,000-volt overhead EHV line between Fos-sur-Mer (13) and Jonquières-Saint-Vincent (30). | | | | | Jocelyn Champagnon, Species Conservation Theme coordinator, obtained his Habilitation to supervise research Congratulations to Jocelyn Champagnon who received his Habilitation to supervise research (HDR) on February 1st 2024 after presenting his dissertation: "Les dénombrements et le baguage pour la conservation des oiseaux : du terrain à l’action". | | | | | The HUGS project is a recipient of the Fondation François Sommer’s last call for projects The HUGS project, led by the Health Ecology Department of the Tour du Valat and aimed to study the individual movement and feeding strategies of Yellow-legged Gulls from two colonies located off the coast of Marseille and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, is one of the 12 winning projects of the 2023 call for projects “Conservation of wildlife and their habitats in ecosystems” by the Fondation François Sommer. | | | | | Students from the Alpill’Campus Vocational High School get involved in the Petit Badon project A new partnership has been formed with the Alpill’Campus Vocational High School in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence to carry out management work on the restored Petit Badon marsh. | | | | | Otter tracks found in the Tourtoulen woods An otter is roaming in the Tourtoulen woods! These fresh footprints were spotted by our teams on the banks of the Rhône, in the Tourtoulen woods, the day after the floods. This site, owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral and managed by the Tour du Valat, is the largest remaining riparian forest in the Camargue. These typical footprints belong to the European otter, a semi-aquatic carnivore that lives alongside rivers and streams, as well as in various types of wetlands. | | | | | | | | A SELECTION OF PUBLICATIONS AND THESIS | | Rising sea levels are threatening mediterranean wetlands and the birds that depend on them The coastal wetlands of the Mediterranean host a high level of species diversity, including many waterbirds. However, a new study published in the journal "Conservation Biology" warns of the impact of future climate changes on biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin. By 2100, many wetlands could be submerged by the sea, a change that could lead to the decline of several waterbird species in these regions. | | | | | Publication of the book "Eco-grazing and vegetation restoration in Mediterranean wetlands" After several years’ work, François Mesléard’s book, "Eco-grazing and vegetation restoration in Mediterranean wetlands", has just been published. Aimed in particular at site managers, students and scientists, it is the result of extensive research carried out at the Tour du Valat. The results should facilitate the improvement of eco-grazing practices for conservation purposes in the Mediterranean basin. | | | | | Using GIS to map the functions and functioning of wetlands in the Rhône-Méditerranée Corse basin – Suzanne Catteau’s PhD Suzanne Catteau, a Cifre PhD student from Tour du Valat, Agence de l’Eau and UMR Passages, successfully defended her thesis entitled: "Bulles de dialogue et cellules raster – Spatialiser les fonctions et le fonctionnement des zones humides par SIG dans le bassin Rhône-Méditerranée Corse". | | | | | Plastic pollution exposure in seabirds: from macroplastics to microplastics – Florence Nono Almeida’s PhD Supervised by Tour du Valat and UMR MIVEGEC CNRS-IRD-Université de Montpellier (France), Florence Nono Almeida has successfully defended on Nov 30th 2023 her doctoral thesis entitled: "Exposition à la pollution plastique chez les oiseaux marins : des macroplastiques aux microplastiques". | | | | | Waterbird censuses on Lake Fitri (Chad) by DFAP with support from the Tour du Valat Last February, the team from the technical support unit to the AEWA African Initiative (OFB/TDV) assisted its Chadian partner, the General Directorate for Wildlife and Protected Areas (DFAP), in waterbird census operations. Together, the teams visited the Zakouma National Park in Chad as part of the RESSOURCE+ project implementation, coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and co-financed by the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the European Union (EU). | | | | | RESCOM project: developing the ecotourism potential of the Khenifiss National Park in Morocco The Mediterranean Biodiversity Consortium, represented by the Conservatoire du littoral and Tour du Valat, was in Morocco in March 2024 to support the National Water and Forestry Agency (ANEF) in developing the natural and cultural heritage of the Khenifiss National Park. | | | | | As part of the Nuit Internationale de la Chauve-Souris (International Bat Night), the Parc naturel régional de Camargue and Tour du Valat invite you to an evening devoted to these little-known nocturnal mammals on August 24. | | | | | Tour du Valat - Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands | | Le Sambuc 13200 Arles - Tél. + 33 (0)4 90 97 20 13 - www.tourduvalat.org Editorial comitee: Béatrice Guenebaud, Coralie Hermeloup and Jean Jalbert Contact : secretariat@tourduvalat.org | | | | | Have contributed to this issue: R. Billé, N. Chokier, A. Marquis-Soria Photos copyrights: Hervé Hôte, Tour du Valat, Celine van Weelden, Pauline Rocarpin, Carole Leray, Thomas Galewski, Pierre Defos du Rau - Julien Birard - Clémence Deschamps, Marion Douchin, Ana Pires (header) Translations: Charles La Via | | Follow the Tour du Valat on our social networks: | | | | | | | | | |
