On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, a unique treaty in that it concerns a specific ecosystem – wetlands – it was only right for the Tour du Valat to celebrate the event in the Camargue. As a major player in the conservation of wetlands for more than 50 years, the Tour du Valat and its founder Luc Hoffmann have been part of this human adventure for the preservation of nature since the very beginning.
The Tour du Valat opened its doors to the general public on Sunday 6 February. A wide range of activities were on offer to raise the awareness of children and adults about wetlands and their riches. In bright sunshine, more than 600 people came to see us. According to their preferences, they could walk round one of the open-access trails, go on a guided tour, listen to a talk or admire an exhibition of animal photographs. The local press was also present and gave the event good coverage.
On 5th and 6th March, an international meeting of the Ramsar Convention was held in Iran, also to celebrate the anniversary. It was essentially a ministerial event with presentations on the importance of wetlands together with the work of the Convention. Luc Hoffmann, as co-founder of the Convention, wrote the opening speech for the occasion.
On 14th and 15th November, the Tour du Valat, in collaboration avec with the Camargue Regional Natural Park and the Syndicat Mixte de Camargue Gardoise (local authority grouping), will invite all the managers of French Ramsar sites to the Camargue, where the MAR conference held in 1962 marked the birth of the Convention.