This article was recently published in the journal Animal Conservation ^[1]. It focuses on the possibilities of assessing the effect of management measures that promote species persistence in the face of global warming. Specifically, it does so by establishing standard protocols known as “before-after-control-intervention”. Measuring effects on a large spatial scale is important for documenting the effect of management measures on species responses to warming. This endeavour requires population monitoring efforts.

You can access it on the Tour du Valat web documentary portal ^[2].

Bibliographical reference: Gaget, E., Galewski, T., Brommer, J.E., Le Viol, I., Jiguet, F., Baccetti, N., Langendoen, T., Molina, B., Moniz, F., Moussy, C., Zenatello, M. and Guillemain, M. (2024), On the need and difficulty of evaluating management strategies improving species persistence. Anim Conserv, 27: 21-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12936 ^[3]

This article was recently published in the journal Animal Conservation ^[4]. It examines the effects of climate warming on species distribution shifts, particularly among waterbirds in South-West Europe, and explores how habitat management practices for duck hunting interact with these responses.

You can access it on the Tour du Valat web documentary portal ^[5].

Abstract:
Climate warming is driving species to shift their geographical distribution poleward to track suitable climatic conditions. Two strategies have been suggested to help species respond to climate warming: facilitating distribution change or improving persistence. We questioned whether habitat management in favour of duck hunting activities interacted with duck responses to climate warming. We studied non-breeding waterbird community changes (110 species) over 28 years at 851 sites in South-West Europe, where habitat management is a common practice to attract and hunt ducks. We hypothesized that duck species targeted by habitat management do not need to track temperature changes as much as non-hunted species, because of the availability of suitable habitats provided by hunting land managers. We used the community temperature index (CTI) to assess the temporal responses of communities and species to climate warming. We compared the effect of hunting status with other functional traits on species responses, controlling for phylogenetic relatedness. The CTI trend has increased over the study period, indicating a community adjustment to climate warming. However, hunted ducks contributed to almost 40% of the negative contributions to this community adjustment, suggesting that hunted ducks do not shift their distribution as much as the other waterbirds do. Winter fidelity associated with the provision of attractive feeding grounds might explain why ducks did not seem to shift their distribution in response to climate warming. This study suggests the broad impact of human activities on wildlife, including on large-scale distribution processes, and questions the long-term consequences on duck populations.

Bibliographical reference: Gaget, E., Galewski, T., Brommer, J.E., Le Viol, I., Jiguet, F., Baccetti, N., Langendoen, T., Molina, B., Moniz, F., Moussy, C., Zenatello, M. and Guillemain, M. (2024), Habitat management favouring hunted waterbird species prevents distribution changes in response to climate warming. Anim Conserv, 27: 5-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12872 ^[4]

After several years’ work, François Mesléard’s book, “Eco-grazing and vegetation restoration in Mediterranean wetlands”, has just been published. It is the result of extensive research carried out at the Tour du Valat. The results should make it possible to improve eco-grazing for conservation in the Mediterranean basin.

Eco-grazing is a powerful means of vegetation management, commonly used in wetlands. By controlling the growth of numerous species and limiting the establishment and colonization of other vegetation, grazing modifies plant hierarchies and can contribute to maintaining or increasing biodiversity. It is therefore a tool that is commonly used in reserves and sites where biodiversity depends on the maintenance of herbaceous environments.

This new book, authored by François Mesléard and published by the Tour du Valat, delves into eco-grazing and attempts to respond to the following questions: How can extensive grazing be used to restore Mediterranean wetlands according to the specific features and constraints of a site and the objectives being pursued? What approaches should be adopted before implementing pastoral management?

This book encourages students, site managers and scientists to consider the various dimensions of eco-grazing in an attempt to complete, revise, and improve the application of this tool. The first part of the book part deals with the mechanisms of vegetation succession, and the restoration of plant communities. The second part focuses on project development, from the choice of whether to use grazing, and in what ways, to the necessary and useful monitoring to be put in place. The third part deals with the monitoring and pastoral management of several plants that are emblematic of Mediterranean wetlands in terms of their importance, interest, and the problems they are likely to pose.

Download the PDF version ^[6]

On Sunday February 4th, the Tour du Valat exceptionally opened its doors to the public for a day of sharing within its nature reserve. With over 1,000 visitors, this record attendance proved once again the interest of the general public in our activities.

On a sunny winter’s day, we were delighted to welcome all generations to the Tour du Valat. To raise awareness of the need to preserve wetlands, this Open Day coincided with World Wetlands Day, whose theme this year was “Wetlands, a source of human well-being”. Our visitors were able to enjoy our trails, activities and conferences throughout the day.

Alongside a guided tour of the flora led by Hugo Fontes ^[7], and a visit to the Tour du Valat buildings with Nicolas Beck ^[8], the public was able to take part in an introductory basket-weaving workshop with Arsène Marquis-Soria ^[9],and discover the tools used to measure wetlands in the company of Columba Martinez-Espinosa ^[10].

This was followed by a round-table discussion on our professions, and a conference about our 70 years of commitment presented by Jean Jalbert ^[11], which provided an opportunity to exchange views on the concrete actions carried out day after day at the Tour du Valat.

Last but not least, visitors were able to take advantage of 2 free-access marked trails on the reserve, a treasure hunt to discover the flora and fauna of wetlands, the Adopt a Flamingo stand ^[12] where they could sponsor pink flamingos, a tasting of Domaine du Petit Saint-Jean ^[13] products, the discovery of our library’s documentary collection, and a book-signing session with Cyril Girard, author-draftsman, and Jean Emmanuel Roché, photographer.

A big thank you to all the visitors, old and new, that we had the pleasure of welcoming! We look forward to seeing you next year.

This article was recently published in the journal Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration ^[14]. The article reveals how Earth Observation (EO) tools can be used to pre-identify sites suitable for large-scale wetland restoration. This is achieved through mapping and delineating existing and lost wetland habitats while analyzing their current usage. Furthermore, it provides an estimate of the efforts required to regenerate areas that have undergone alterations or losses.

You can access it on the Tour du Valat web documentary portal ^[15].

Abstract:

Mediterranean wetlands are the richest and most productive ecosystems in the region, and are essential for climate change adaptation and mitigation. However, despite their importance, they have suffered significant destruction over time. We estimate that half of the natural wetlands have been lost since the 1970s, and the regional trend shows no signs of slowing down. It is therefore urgent to implement concrete solutions that can preserve the remaining wetlands and restore those that have been lost. The increasing availability of free and open Earth Observation (EO) data and tools has provided a basis for mapping these ecosystems and monitoring their status and trends. In this paper, we show how EO-based data and tools can support the pre-identification of candidate sites for wetlands restoration at large scale through the mapping and delineation of existing and lost wetland habitats, their current land use status, and the estimation of the efforts needed to recreate the lost and transformed ones. We used this approach in the Sebou river basin in Morocco and the transboundary Medjerda watershed between Algeria and Tunisia. The resulting products, i.e., Potential Wetland Areas and Potentially Restorable Wetlands maps, enabled the identification of more than 7000 km2 and 1700 km2 of lost wetland habitats that could be regained in the Sebou and Medjerda basins, respectively. These results hold immense value for water resources management and land planning as they can enhance and assist prioritization efforts for wetland restoration at local, national, and regional scales. They can serve as baseline data to identify candidate sites to implement wetland restoration actions as Nature-based Solutions, regenerate their habitats, and restore the ecosystem services they provide to society.

Bibliographical reference: Guelmami, A. Large-scale mapping of existing and lost wetlands: Earth Observation data and tools to support restoration in the Sebou and Medjerda river basins. Euro-Mediterr J Environ Integr (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-023-00443-6 ^[14]

Congratulations to Jocelyn Champagnon ^[16]who received his Habilitation to supervise research (HDR) on February 1st 2024 after presenting his dissertation :

Les dénombrements et le baguage pour la conservation des oiseaux : du terrain à l’action

The event took place at Tour du Valat in the presence of the jury, comprising Aurélien Besnard (HDR director, EPEHE), Ana Rodrigues (CEFE-CNRS), Christophe Barbraud (CEBC), Pierre-Yves Henry (MNHN), Alexandre Millon (IMBE), Anne Charmantier (CEFE-CNRS) and Raphaël Mathevet (CEFE-CNRS).

The HDR is a national higher education diploma, the highest university qualification. This prestigious diploma enables doctoral students to be supervised.

Abstract (in French)

L’érosion de la biodiversité a conduit à l’émergence des sciences de la conservation il y a une quarantaine d’années. Ce domaine de recherche scientifique interdisciplinaire vise à fournir les fondements nécessaires pour enrayer la perte de biodiversité. Les oiseaux sont des indicateurs de l’état de la biodiversité en ce qu’ils sont divers, répandus et mobiles ; ils sont présents dans tous les habitats, partout dans le monde et se situent souvent en haut de la chaîne alimentaire, ce qui les rend sensibles aux changements qui se produisent plus bas dans la chaîne. Comment deux activités de recherche, les dénombrements et le baguage, contribuent-elles aux enjeux de conservation des oiseaux ? Ce mémoire explore les pratiques éthiques de la collecte de données écologiques afin de garantir un meilleur équilibre entre la recherche et le bien-être animal.

En outre, si les sciences de la conservation ont conduit à des résultats notables, elles n’ont cependant pas réussi à atteindre l’objectif d’inverser la tendance au déclin de la biodiversité. Il est intéressant alors de s’interroger sur le rôle que le chercheur peut jouer pour agir en faveur de la biodiversité, en développant des activités de recherche-action avec les parties prenantes, de communication auprès de publics ciblés, ou de participation à des groupes d’experts afin de conseiller les décisionnaires.

Suzanne Catteau, a Cifre PhD student from Tour du Valat, Agence de l’Eau and UMR Passages, successfully defended her thesis entitled :

Bulles de dialogue et cellules raster – Spatialiser les fonctions et le fonctionnement des zones humides par SIG dans le bassin Rhône-Méditerranée Corse

Suzanne completed her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Laurent Couderchet, Lecturer at Bordeaux Montaigne University.

Find out more about Suzanne Catteau’s thesis ^[17].

Abstract :

Wetland boundaries have been the subject of tensions for over thirty years. How to design protection independently of zoning? The French river basin agency, “Agence de l’Eau Rhône-Méditerranée Corse”, proposes to develop supports of dialogue based on raster representations – rather than vector -, to show ecosystem functions and highlight the continuity of their functioning.

To achieve this goal, a Cifre convention gathered the “Agence de l’Eau”, the “Tour du Valat”, and the “UMR Passages”, with quite different scientific cultures. In this Action-Research project, I designed various prototypes to answer the Agency’s demand. Initial proposals have raised conceptual disagreements between the three institutions of the partnership. Nevertheless, GIS provokes a dialogue between engineering sciences, conservation sciences and critical sciences, resulting in proposals that are transmitted to local experts, who in turn ask for adjustments adapted to their practices. Dialogues with various partners lead to several GIS proposals. GIS is neither neutral nor factual, it is used as a tool of authority or dialogue. The use of critical GIS highlights power games which set aside local elected representatives from mapping. That is why an experimentation proposes the co-construction of a prototype with this audience for a functional integration of wetlands into territorial strategies. Opening the model black box leads to a demystification of GIS and maps, putting local decision-makers as actors.

Supervised by Tour du Valat and UMR MIVEGEC CNRS-IRD-Université de Montpellier (France), Florence Nono Almeida ^[18] has successfully defended on Nov 30th 2023 her doctoral thesis entitled :

Plastic pollution exposure in seabirds: from macroplastics to microplastics 

Florence has started a 2-year post-doctorate at MIVEGEC on the MicroM project, which is looking at the impact of microplastics on the vectorial capacities of mosquitoes.

Abstract :

Among the various types of pollution, anthropogenic debris such as plastics has become a major source of concern for the functioning of ecosystems and the health of the organisms living there. The main aim of this thesis was to quantify and characterize exposure to anthropogenic debris, including plastics, in Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis in the western Mediterranean basin, in order to better understand its impact on the health, reproductive success and population dynamics of seabirds.

We examined this question through three approaches: 1) the study of the variation in exposure within a colony during the breeding period; 2) the study of the spatial and temporal variability of exposure between colonies on a basin-wide scale; 3) and finally, the quantification of plastics in the birds’ digestive tracts. The latter required the development of a new protocol for quantifying microplastics (10μm to 1mm) in vertebrate tissues. While the general dependence of gulls on anthropogenic waste was underlined by our results, variation in exposure was observed both during the breeding season and according to the colonies studied. This variation seems to be mainly due to the number of dumps and the percentage of agricultural cover around the colonies. While only a few individuals retained plastics larger than 1 mm in their digestive tract at the time of death, almost all had small microplastics. A total average of 39.25 (± 30.60) mg of plastic was found in the gulls’ digestive tracts, including 8.45 (± 5.24) mg of small microplastics.

The work presented in this thesis represents one of the first efforts to quantify and qualify the exposure of Mediterranean birds to plastics and other waste. Nevertheless, much still remains to be done to understand the impact of this pollution on individual health, its link with other stressors such as parasites, and the role of gulls in the wider-scale dissemination of this pollution.

On January 23rd and 24th 2024, the Tour du Valat is delighted to welcome its Moroccan and Tunisian partners for a study visit on the theme: “Exchanges & sharing our experience and best practices for the management and preservation of Mediterranean wetlands”. In addition to representatives from OSS ^[19], WWF-NA ^[20], SEMIDE ^[21] and Tour de Valat, there are also representatives from national institutions in Morocco and Tunisia, working in the environmental, agricultural, water and forestry sectors.

Context

At a time when North Africa is under severe water stress, any water found there is precious: not only because it sustains the economies and societies in these countries, but also because of the incredible endemism and species diversity of the region’s water-related ecosystems.

Against this backdrop of water-related tensions, it is important to remember that healthy, functional wetlands underpin the economies and societies of all communities in the Maghreb countries. They provide essential ecosystem services, free of charge, to guarantee access to good quality water (direct supply, groundwater recharge, water purification, flood protection, fishing, grazing, maintenance of biodiversity, etc.). Urgent action is therefore needed to better preserve and manage natural wetlands that are still in good condition, and to restore and rehabilitate those that have been degraded and/or lost.

Goals

The main aim of the study visit was to bring together Restore NAW project partners and stakeholders from Morocco and Tunisia with experts from Tour du Valat and SEMIDE, in order to exchange experiences and share best practices in NFS (Nature-based Solutions) for the protection and restoration of wetland ecosystems and better adaptation to climate change. Discussions focused on techniques and approaches tried and tested in various wetland monitoring, conservation and restoration projects carried out by Tour du Valat and SEMIDE, with their partners, in Camargue and elsewhere in the Mediterranean basin.

Online course is OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS – 2024 session

The second iteration of Tour du Valat‘s four-week, online course on “Monitoring breeding waterbirds in Mediterranean wetlands” is now open for applications ^[22].

This course is designed for wildlife or habitat managers, students, academics, researchers, ornithologists, experts from Mediterranean countries with some experience with counting birds.

The course will introduce you to subjects such as why we should count colonial waterbirds during breeding season, or how to proceed with counting colonial waterbird limiting disturbance, with many practical tips and advice from experienced ornithologists. In this online course, we will also explain how to proceed to import field notes into a database.

It has been prepared by Tour du Valat’s team with the support of Wetlands based solutions ^[23], Fonds français pour l’environnement mondial and Agence française de développement.

This course is in English and free of charge. For this second iteration, the number of participants is limited. Please register here ^[22].

Consider that you will need to dedicate approximately 3 hours/week over 4 weeks to complete the course. You will be able to progress online at your own pace. You will have the opportunity to interact online with the experts in a forum and during two online meetings. A certificate of achievement will be awarded to those who successfully complete the course.

Dates of the course: 18 March to 15 April 2024

Deadline for registration: February 1^st 2024

Successful registered applicants will be informed by February 22^nd 2024

^[24]

You can access to it on the Tour du Valat web documentary portal ^[26].

Abstract :

Wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet and pollution is a major factor causing the decline of wetland biodiversity. Despite the increasing use of pesticides, their fate and effects on freshwater reptiles remain largely unknown. We studied the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), a long-lived species at risk with a high exposure potential to pesticides. Between 2018 and 2020, we measured 29 pesticides and metabolites in 408 blood samples of turtles from two populations in the Camargue wetland (France). We were able to quantify 24 compounds and at least one pesticide or one degradation product ^[27] in 62.5% of samples. Pesticide occurrences and concentrations were low, except for a herbicide widely used in rice cultivation and locally detected in water: bentazone that reached high blood concentrations in E. orbicularis. The occurrence and the concentration of pesticides in E. orbicularis blood depended mainly on the site and the sampling date in relation to pesticide application ^[28]. Individual characteristics (sex, age, body condition) did not explain the occurrence or the concentration of pesticides found in turtle blood. Assessing the exposure of aquatic wildlife to a cocktail of currently-used pesticides is a first and crucial step before studying their effects at the individual and population levels.

Bibliographical reference:

Leslie-Anne Merleau, Olivier Lourdais, Anthony Olivier, Marion Vittecoq, Gabriel Blouin-Demers, Fabrice Alliot, Louisiane Burkart, Yvann Foucault, Carole Leray, Emmanuelle Migne, Aurélie Goutte, Pesticide concentrations in a threatened freshwater turtle (Emys orbicularis): Seasonal and annual variation in the Camargue wetland, France, Environmental Pollution, Volume 341, 2024, 122903, ISSN 0269-7491, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122903 ^[29].

The Tour du Valat, its Board of Directors and all its employees are pleased and proud to announce the election of Jean Jalbert, General Director of the Tour du Valat and Vice-President of the French IUCN Committee, to the position of Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Conservatoire du littoral.

Jean Jalbert thus becomes Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Conservatoire du littoral, seconding President Agnès Langevine, Vice-President of the Occitanie Region, and alongside Hubert Dejean de la Bâtie, Vice-President of the Normandy Region.

For Jean Jalbert: “This election to the vice-presidency of the Conservatoire du littoral, a great institution dear to the hearts of the French, is for me a great honor. It is, above all, a recognition of my commitment towards nature and in particular Mediterranean wetlands. It is also, of course, an acknowledgement of the work carried out since almost 70 years by the Tour du Valat to preserve these fertile but fragile and threatened ecosystems”.

Jean Jalbert is an agricultural engineer with a master’s degree in biology. In the early part of his career he pursued a diversified professional path, managing several organisations working at the interface between environmental and agricultural issues. At the same time, he was active in a number of environmental associations. In 1994, Jean Jalbert joined the Tour du Valat, a research institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands as Project Manager and then Director of Conservation. He has been General Director since 2004, deploying the institute’s strategy throughout the Mediterranean basin. He leads a multi-disciplinary team of 90 people and oversees a program of high-level research aimed at developing and implementing conservation strategies, as well as informing public policy in favor of wetlands. Jean Jalbert is involved in the governance of various organisations, both in France and internationally including: • Vice-President of the French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), • Member of the French National Biodiversity Committee (CNB), • Board Member of Ramsar France, • President of the MedWet Secretariat, • Member of the Board of Wetlands International Europe (Netherlands), • Member of the Executive Board of the Maison méditerranéenne du climat (Morocco), • Board Member of the Mediterranean Initiative for Nature and Anthropos -MedINA (Greece), • Board Member of the Luc Hoffmann Flyway Fund – BirdLife International (UK).