As part of the REST COAST project, a major field campaign aimed at taking surface sediment cores from nearly 160 points spread over the entire Rhône Delta pilot site was undertaken in April 2023.
This prospective study mobilized a dozen people, including staff from the Microbial Ecology Laboratory (INRAE Lyon) and Tour du Valat. The analysis of the microbial flora present in the sedimentary cores sampled will make it possible to highlight the areas of the pilot site displaying the highest potential for greenhouse gas emissions on the one hand, and carbon sequestration on the other. These areas of interest will be selected for a second campaign, which will take place in 2024, aimed at measuring carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas flows.
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The results of these campaigns will enable us to highlight the impact of restoration on the carbon balance at the scale of the pilot site, but also to make a comparison with the results obtained on other pilot sites taking part in the REST COAST project (such as the Arcachon basin and the Venice lagoon). In addition, it will provide valuable information on the effects of the chosen restoration strategy on the carbon footprint in order to inform future restoration projects.
The REST-COAST [1] European project, aims to demonstrate that large-scale coastal restoration can provide a low-carbon solution for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction for threatened coastal systems, combined with biodiversity gains.