Tour du Valat Newsletter n°48 | April 2025 | | | | | In search of the hidden peat bogs of the Rhône delta: carbon reservoirs to be preserved | | In response to the lack of data on peatlands in the Rhône delta, the Tour du Valat launched a project at the end of 2024 to map these special wetlands, estimating their carbon stocks and assessing their condition. | | | | | This essential information will be incorporated into the national peatland atlas. Due for publication at the end of 2025, this atlas will help guiding restoration and conservation actions for these natural carbon reservoirs threatened by human activities. Characterized by soils rich in organic matter, peatlands are the world's main soil carbon stock. Although they cover just 3% of the Earth's land surface, they store almost 30% of the total carbon contained in soils equivalent to 75% of all the carbon present in the atmosphere. | | 3 questions for ... Gaëtan PLOTEAU, in charge of "Trois Marais" Natura 2000 site at Camargue Regional Nature Park | | He answers our questions about the “Trois marais” site, which encompasses the wetlands between the Alpilles, the Crau and the Grand Rhône, as well as the tasks of a Natura 2000 project manager in a project such as the Peatland atlas project. | | | | | Wanted! Have you seen any bats in the Camargue? | | In order to collect data on bats in the Camargue, the Rest-Chir’Eau project is launching its participatory science campaign, consisting of an online survey and participatory monitoring. This initiative offers the general public the opportunity to contribute to the study of bats in the Camargue. | | | | | Recommendations brochure for “Improving biodiversity in Camargue rice systems" | | Based on several years’ monitoring of biodiversity and farming practices in the Camargue, the Tour du Valat, in collaboration with Solagro and Agribio 04, is proposing ways to improve the reception of biodiversity in Camargue rice-growing systems. These recommendations are set out in a brochure published in January 2025, aimed in particular at farmers in the sector. | | | | | Training workshop: Introduction to National Wetland Inventories | | From February 10 to 14, the Tour du Valat hosted a training workshop on “Introduction to National Wetland Inventories (NWI)”, organized by the Ramsar Secretariat with the support of the "Observatoire des Zones Humides Méditerranéennes". | | | | | Open Day 2025: a happy crowd under grey skies | | Over 700 visitors came to enjoy our Open House 2025. Organized every year to mark World Wetlands Day, this day is an opportunity for curious people of all ages to discover the Tour du Valat research institute and its regional nature reserve, which is exceptionally open to the public. | | | | | The National Wetlands Mapping project winner of the “Open Science for Research Data” prize | | At the “Assises Nationales des Données de la Recherche 2024” (national conference on Research Data), the “National Wetlands Mapping project” project was awarded the “Open Science for Research Data” prize, in the “creating a missing dataset” category. This category rewards four projects judged exemplary in their provision of a new scientific dataset. | | | | | - April, 26 & 27, 2025 I Le Gard de Ferme en Ferme® I The Petit Saint-Jean agroecological farm will open its doors to the public for the 23rd edition of this event dedicated to sustainable agriculture I De Ferme en Ferme
- May 28 to June 1, 2025 I 17th Festival de la Camargue et du Delta du Rhône I Tour du Valat will offer several activities for this annual event I Program
- May 28 to June 13, 2025 I 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference ITour du Valat will be present at the international event in Nice I UNOC 2025
| | | | | Sound logs from the field | | Let's take a trip down the Fumemorte canal, which drains water from the rice fields into the Vaccarès pond in the Camargue, with Pascal Contournet, a research technician at the Tour du Valat. He has been monitoring fish populations there since 1993. | | 🎧 Listen with headphones for an immersive experience! | | | | | 📽️ Conference I International waterbird counts | | Since 1967, waterbirds (over 900 species) have been the subject of Wetlands monitoring, organized to assess their populations on an annual basis. What information does this monitoring provide? How is it carried out? 🎙️Laura Dami, coordinator of ROEM (Réseau Oiseaux d'Eaux Méditerranée) | | | 📽️ Conference I European eels in Mediterranean lagoons | | Do you know how many species of eel there are in France? How many kilometers do they travel in salt water before reaching freshwater environments where they will grow for several years? Do you know how they escape from predators? 🎙️Amélie Hoste, post-doctorante | | | 📽️ Webinar I Conservation of Lestes macrostigma, from science to management/restoration | | An endangered dragonfly whose conservation requires its habitat to be restored, or even recreated, which requires in-depth knowledge of its ecological requirements. This is the subject of Philippe Lambret's thesis, presented in this webinar. 🎙️Philippe Lambret, odonate conservation project manager | | | | | Lead has a hard life in the Camargue marshes Despite a ban in France on hunting with lead ammunition in wetlands since 2006, waterbirds are still being contaminated by lead pellets. This is the finding of a new scientific study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice. | | | | | Eoldist: a web application to avoid bird collisions with wind turbines A new publication, in which the Tour du Valat took part, presents Eoldist, a web application designed to estimate the necessary detection distances for automatic bird detection systems approaching wind turbines, in order to limit collisions. | | | | | In the Camargue, eels reveal the quality of their habitat A study carried out in the Camargue compared the contamination of European eels at different sites. In particular, it revealed that contaminants found in sediments taken from capture sites were also detected in eels. | | | | | In the Camargue, the complementary nature of highly protected areas and private marshes benefits the Eurasian spoonbill A study conducted in the Camargue reveals that Eurasian spoonbills use both moderately and highly protected wetlands. The complementary nature of land management methods in the Camargue seems to benefit the species, particularly the management of hunting marshes and of nature reserves protected according to the annual cycle. | | | | | Publication of National Biodiversity Observatory key figures on French wetlands To mark World Wetlands Day, the French National Biodiversity Observatory (NBO) has published an overview of the state of biodiversity in French wetlands, written in partnership with Tour du Valat. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tour du Valat Fondation Research Institute for Mediterranean Wetlands Conservation www.tourduvalat.org | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Editorial Committee : J. Jalbert, R. Billé, B. Guénebeaud, C. Hermeloup et E. Stamm. Contributors to this issue A. Gazaix, P. Contournet, A-S. Hervy, A. Marquis-Soria et N. Chokier. Photo credits and illustrations : A. Gazaix (bannière) ; A. Gazaix x 2 ; Tour du Valat ; C. Girard ; A. Marquis-Soria ; M. Douchin ; Aix Marseille Université ; E. Stamm ; A. Marquis-Soria ; Onema ; P. Lambret ; A. Bouedec ; S. Manne / Onema ; H. Ferreira ; ONB ; T. Blanchon & C. Girard (bannière Adopte un flamant). All rights reserved © Fondation Tour du Valat, 2025 | | | |
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