The Annual Mammalogy Colloquium was held at the Arles conference centre from 19 to 21 October, 2012. It was co-organised by the French Society for the Study and Protection of Mammals (SFEPM) and the PACA Bird Protection Society. This year’s theme was “Mammals in aquatic ecosystems” Fifteen oral presentations and the same number of poster sessions enabled a wide range of people (more than 300 participants from France, Belgium, and Switzerland) to learn about research conducted on continental and marine aquatic mammals, with a great deal of attention on studies carried out in the Mediterranean.
The Tour du Valat participated in this colloquium actively with an oral presentation on its research on mammals in the Camargue, three poster sessions, and by organising a field trip to the Tourtoulen woods. On this site, which belongs to the French Coastal Protection Agency (CdL), and co-managed by the French National Forest Service (ONF) and the Tour du Valat, thirty people were able to observe European genet droppings, Mustelidae faeces, European badger latrine, and beaver burrow-lodge.
Overall, this event was very positive. It allowed participants to focus their attention on the threats facing mammals and the stakes linked to their conservation, knowing that 11 of the 119 species found in metropolitan France are threatened, and that 3 of them have already disappeared.