In order to collect data on bats in the Camargue, the Rest-Chir’Eau project is launching its participatory science campaign, consisting of an online survey and participatory monitoring. This initiative offers the general public the opportunity to contribute to the study of bats in the Camargue.
Where are the bats in the Camargue? What do they do throughout the seasons? To answer these questions, Rest-Chir’Eau project has designed an online survey.
Available from March 10 to autumn 2025, the “Wanted! Have you seen any bats in the Camargue?” will enable Camargue residents and visitors to share their observations of bats in the area, using a simple and intuitive questionnaire.
Whether these observations are made around their homes or in the Camargue countryside, this data will help the Rest-Chir’Eau project team to map bat activity in the Camargue and on the Trame Turquoise, the natural spaces that connect land and water, throughout the year. By studying bat activity in the marshes throughout the year, Rest-Chir’Eau aims to fill a gap in research. Indeed, Pauline Rocarpin, project coordinator, points out that “although the relationship between these small flying mammals and wetlands has been noted, it is rarely studied”.
Field sessions accessible to all
Four sessions of participatory monitoring at dawn and dusk will also be organized, from spring to autumn. In the field, participants will be assigned to various strategic observation points, in order to count bats and assess their activity.
Open to all adults, no prior knowledge of bats is required. Young people aged 14 and over, accompanied by an adult, are also welcome. Dates for future sessions will be announced on Tour du Valat website.
How to get involved
Online survey : https://survey.zohopublic.eu/zs/W5DcuK
To participate in follow-up sessions : dates will be communicated via Tour du Valat website and via the Rest-Chir’Eau project newsletter.
About Trame Turquoise :The “Trame Turquoise” is made up of natural spaces that connect land and water. These ecological corridors are essential to the life cycles of certain species of amphibians, insects, birds and mammals, which require both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The “Trame Turquoise” is therefore made up of aquatic, wet and dry natural spaces (wetlands, watercourses, grasslands, meadows and alluvial forests, etc.), as well as linear or punctual plant formations (hedges, riparian forests, copses, etc.). |
