Society of Wetland Scientists Europe chapter Annual Meeting Arles, 13-16 June 2022

17th SWS Europe Chapter conference Connecting wetlands functioning and biodiversity towards nature-based solutions June 13th-16th 2022 Organised by Society of Wetland Scientists, Europe Chapter & Tour du Valat

Welcome to the Europe Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists. The Europe Chapter was founded with the intent of bringing together wetland scientists and other professionals from around Europe who share common interests in wetland science and management.

SWS Europe is focused on understanding and advancing wetland science, as well as assuring that decision-making processes affecting wetlands are based on an understanding of wetland science. Carrying out this mission requires members who are informed about both the underlying science and the kinds of considerations that affect decision-making, many of which are specific to Europe and in particular the European Union. In addition, our members are technical and professional resources for one another, but only if members know each other.

Sponsor of the event: Society Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program

Programme overview

13^th June:

• Welcome
• Visit LUMA Arles and Atelier LUMA
• Dinner

14^th and 16^th June:

• Key-note lecture (20min with 10min questions)
• 1-hour invited session (4 x 10min presentations with 5 min questions each)
• Keynote lecture (20min with 10 min questions)
• 2-hour afternoon session with contributed papers (12x 10min presentations)
• General discussion (30min)

15^th June:

• Camargue Field trip
  • Wetland biodiversity: policy and management
  • Wetland restoration
  • Nature-based solutions and climate change

 

This 17th Society Wetland Scientists Europe Chapter Meeting will be organised in Arles (Camargue-France) on the beautiful site of the LUMA Foundation ^[1].

Keynotes speakers

• Thomas Galewski ^[2], Tour du Valat, France
• Brigitte Poulin ^[3], Tour du Valat, France
• Carles Ibanez ^[4], EURECAT – Technological Institute of Catalonia, Spain
• Liesbeth Bakker ^[5], Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Netherlands

The meeting will be opened by Martha Rojas Urrego ^[6], Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (or representative from the Ramsar Secretariat).

 

Registration

 

Contact person:

[email protected] ^[7]

Dr Patrick Grillas ([email protected] ^[8])

Prof. Jos Verhoeven ([email protected] ^[9])

 

Find out about

Tour du Valat

Created more than 65 years ago by Luc Hoffmann, visionary naturalist and patron, the Tour du Valat ^[10] has since then developed its research activities for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands with the constant desire to achieve: better understanding for better management. Convinced that it will only be possible to preserve wetlands if human activities and the protection of the natural heritage can be reconciled, Tour du Valat has for many years been developing programmes of research and integrated management that favour interchanges between wetland users and scientists, and promote wetlands benefit to decision makers.

 

LUMA Arles

 “There is one driving-metaphor for LUMA Arles: that of a living organism. As such the balance between form and function will determine its viability. The trick is to compose a polyphonic score where everything is ordered, but where everything is possible”.

Maja Hoffmann | Executive director

 

In 2013, Maja Hoffmann launched LUMA Arles ^[11], an interdisciplinary creative campus where, through exhibitions, conferences, live performances, architecture and design, thinkers, artists, researchers, and scientists question the relationships between art, culture, environment, education, and research.

Both a place of production and experimentation for artists and the public, LUMA Arles hosts annual exhibitions of major artists, works by leading figures in contemporary creation, specific commissions, and in situ projects. Archives of artists, photographers, and exhibitions are accessible in conditions worthy of the greatest international institutions.

This artistic programing is supervised and developed by Maja Hoffmann and the “Core Group ^[12]” a group of international advisors comprising curators, directors of cultural institutions, and artists, namely Hans Ulrich Obrist, Beatrix Ruf, Liam Gillick, Tom Eccles, and Philippe Parreno. New members are expected to join the group soon.

Since its creation, LUMA Arles has commissioned and presented the work of more than 100 artists, thinkers, and innovators across multiple venues in the city of Arles.

 

Atelier LUMA

Atelier LUMA ^[13] is a design and research laboratory, a production workshop, and a network of multidisciplinary experts. Launched in 2016, it explores the territory’s innovation potential through its resources and know-how. Since 2017, it has been based in the Parc des Ateliers inside the Mécanique Générale building, and will soon move to a new, larger laboratory inside the Magasin Électrique building.

Atelier LUMA develops local solutions that can be replicated in other territories for a virtuous ecological, economic, technological, and social transition.

Through its research on the bioregion and the city of Arles, Atelier LUMA ^[14] creates innovative ways to use the natural and cultural resources of a territory. Atelier LUMA’s working methods are rooted in post-industrial design practices. From the reuse of agricultural wastes and valorization of traditional crafts to the sharing of knowledge, each of its projects is a component of a more virtuous system.

The Atelier LUMA team comprises about 20 people who collaborate with a network of participants from diverse background. Designers, artists, biologists, engineers, farmers, philosophers, sociologists, and activists mingle and work together.