The HUGS project, led by the Health Ecology Department of La Tour du Valat, 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.
Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis) are a wild species that has become familiar to many city dwellers. However, they are sometimes associated with noise pollution and health risks. Indeed, this species often carries contaminants and pathogens of clinical importance. Despite the ubiquity of gulls in cities, their use of urban space is still poorly understood.
The HUGS project proposes 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, within the largest urban area on the French Mediterranean coast. The addressed issue is relevant to many urban areas along the French metropolitan coast. It could be the subject of further developments involving other urban zones, particularly through exchanges with the concerned local authorities and within the national seabird research and management network.
The project in 5 actions
- Identify areas potentially at risk for pathogen exchange between gulls and humans.
- Identify the sources of plastic contamination of gulls and their ability to disperse them in urban areas as well as into natural spaces.
- Engage in dialogue with local stakeholders, especially waste management services and landfill managers in the sector.
- Explore possible actions with them to reduce potential health risks for residents and gull contamination by plastics.
- Co-develop solutions to limit conflicts between humans and gulls in urban environments.
Main partners: UMR MIVEGEC (Infectious Diseases and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control, CNRS/IRD/UM)
