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.
On 15 March, a first class had the opportunity to discover this newly restored marsh. Eleven students and two supervisors actively participated in a management action aimed at limiting the presence of Tamarix gallica in this recreated ecosystem. Its development is currently favored by the changing growth conditions (soil movement, hydrological regime, bare soil before colonization), the available seed bank, and the fact that this species is not eaten by the herd of horses present on the site. Such monitoring and management actions ensure that Tamarix gallica does not dominate other plants and best support this habitat restoration and its associated biodiversity.
The Petit Badon marsh project was initiated in 2019 on private property in the Camargue. It aims to recreate a 14-hectare temporary marsh on abandoned agricultural land, functioning similarly to natural Mediterranean temporary marshes (reference ecosystems), which fill with autumn rainfall and dry out during the summer.
By reconstructing habitats favourable to biodiversity (flora, waterbirds, odonates, amphibians, reptiles, chiropterans, etc.), the Petit Badon project also aims to study the dynamics of ecosystem restoration to implement suitable management actions.
The involvement of the Alpill’Campus Vocational High School contributes to preserving the ecosystem of a young marsh that is still in a sensitive balance and raises students’ awareness of nature conservation. Well done to all the participants!
