Despite the gloomy weather, the public turned out in force to discover wetlands and their management at this year’s Tour du Valat Open Day.
A lively day
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.
In addition to the two signposted, free-access tours of the Nature Reserve, the public were able to enjoy a wide range of activities throughout the day. These included tasting products from the Petit Saint-Jean agroecological farm, learning more about pink flamingos at the “Adopt a Flamingo” stand, and a presentation of the research carried out by Clémence Vigneault.
Presentation of Clémence Vazard’s research
Discover the research of Clémence Vazard [1] and Antonio Navarro, two artists who regularly work on the Tour du Valat estate as part of their art and design research with “Atelier Luma”. [2]
The day was punctuated by three round-table discussions:
- “The European eel in Mediterranean lagoon environments”, by Amélie Hoste [3], a post-doctoral student who recently defended her thesis at Tour du Valat;
- “Flamingos: between nature and culture”, a presentation of the new book by author and photographer Jean E. Roché;
- Finally, a lecture on “International waterbird counts” by Laura Dami [4], project manager at Tour du Valat, brought the day to a close.
Laura Dami © Marion Douchin
Did you say “wetlands”?
From manade management to bat monitoring, from the analysis of plastics found in gull castings to agroecology, the day’s events were an opportunity to discover the wide range of activities carried out at the Tour du Valat. What do they have in common? Whether they take place in the Regional Nature Reserve or in the Mediterranean Basin, all our actions are aimed at conserving wetlands.
As their name suggests, wetlands are characterized by the coexistence of land and water, whether on the surface or in the ground, permanently or temporarily. Still poorly known and often misunderstood, these environments are essential to human societies and all living things. From water regulation during floods and droughts, to carbon storage, biodiversity reservoirs and the production of natural resources, wetlands provide many essential services.
World Wetlands DayWorld Wetlands Day (WWD) is celebrated every year on February 2, to commemorate the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The theme of World Wetlands Day 2025 was: “Protecting wetlands for our common future”. |
