As the 2022 Wetlands censuses come to an end, the national report on the 2021 censuses focuses on the Camargue and the activities of the Tour du Valat. A zoom dedicated to the Camargue presents the history and organization of the censuses, as well as an analysis of the trends and results of the 2021 census at this site (p.16-19). The report also includes a summary of the work of David Vallecillo, who defended his thesis last December [1] (p. 7), and a focus by the AAO (partner of the ROEM [2] -Tour du Valat) on the Sebkhet Sejoumi site in Tunisia (p. 24-25).
Coordinated in France by the LPO on behalf of Wetlands International at the international level, this census, started in 1967 for anatidae and coots and then extended to a larger number of species, allows each year to evaluate in a participative way the state and the progression of waterbird populations on the five continents.
This census is always carried out around mid-January, a period when most of the waterbirds in the northern hemisphere are on their wintering grounds, where their concentration allows an easy counting.
In France, in mid-January 2021, more than 1,500 volunteer counters participated in the census of waterbirds in more than 500 wetlands throughout the country.
Wetlands sites in France
Reference
GIRARD T. & BIENVENUT J. (2022). Comptage Wetlands International – Bilan régional Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur 2021. LPO PACA/DREAL PACA, Faune-PACA Publication n°109 : 46 p.