TOUR DU VALAT

A research centre for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands

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Study and modelisation of Mediterranean wetland landscape dynamics

The Camargue by satellite

Project leader: Alain SANDOZ (See the CV)

Team:

Nathalie Thauvin , Alexandra Vallérian , Samuel Clérici


Under three wide research themes, this project will allow to get into inventory and monitoring methods, eco-systems dynamics and relation between habitat and animal populations. Tools selected to modelize landscape will use preferentially satellite remote sensing data. Every data will be specialized. Computing index will use landscape ecology tools. Camargue will be the privileged site with potential extensions to other Mediterranean sites.

This project focuses on habitat stakes as well as species that live in those habitats. In the middle term, it will serve the creation of an Observatory of Mediterranean wetlands. It will give us the ability to make out an inventory of fixtures, to measure Mediterranean wetland evolutions and will bring, among others, facts necessary for spatial indicator calculations. Then, it will be possible to draw in parallel, observed dynamics with process and pressures (natural or human) to whom those environments are submitted. Spatial running models will be developed and used as prospective simulation tools which will help different management scenarii simulations. This observatory allows management monitoring and measurement of human activities impact on ecosystems and their biodiversity.


Contents:


Issues :

Scientific issues

  • Habitat: to understand the links between ecosystems and Mediterranean wetlands landscapes, temporal and spatial dynamics. To develop existing spatial operation models and prospective and predictive spatial models necessary for skills transfer.
  • Skills and knowledge: Functioning models defined for habitats to generate knowledge from multi-source data and prospective evolution scenarii according to different management propositions.
  • Animal populations: to study interactions between animal populations, essentially avifauna, and, the surrounding landscape and its variation set.
  • Monitoring habitat (Camargue,…): monitoring of environment evolution thanks to a Mediterranean observatory.

Conservation issues

Species and populations conservation is based on favourable habitats existence (sometimes multiple and complementary) for that they satisfy essential needs. Nature and interstitial habitat quality may play an important role in the extent that habitat quality can affect species capacity to pass from one patch to another. Conservation and management of populations and species at landscape scale necessitate a good knowledge of height, quality and spatial distribution of habitat.

Economic issues/human activities concerned

The landscape approach will make possible to measure human activities action (urbanisation, industrialisation, tourism,…) on sites. We will be able to generate necessary figures for elaboration of spatial operation models and for simulation of different scenarii integrating human activities. The project results will allow to give useful information to wetland users (hunters, breeders,…), territorial community (flood control), public health service (zoonose sanitary surveillance), and site managers (reserves, hunting marshes,…).


Partners:


Other achievements:

Communications:

  • Leblond A., Sandoz A., Lacombe V. & Sabatier P. 2006 - A spatiotemporal study of a West Nile Virus Outbreak in horses in Camargue, France. In: Society for Veterinary 353 Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Exteter, UK, 29th - 31st March 2006, pp. 354 41-49. 355
  • Sandoz A., Leblond A., Chauvelon P. & Maunier A. 2006 - Satellite monitoring of flooding duration in relation with public health (West Nile virus, South of France) Oral presentation: European geosciences union 1st general assembly, Vienna, April 2006
  • Sandoz A. 2006 - Habitats and flooding duration's satellite monitoring applied to wetlands, an example: the Camargue (the Rhone delta). Oral presentation: Enrichment of the MedWet Inventory Method: Exploring applications of Remote Sensing techniques and of Spatial Data Infrastructures, Thessaloniki, April 2006
  • Sandoz A., Leblond A. & Maunier A. H. - Relations entre environnement et santé publique : Virus du West Nile, Sud de la France. Colloque international de la Société d’écologie humaine : Milieux de vie et santé, Quelles pratiques interdisciplinaires ?, Marseille, juillet 2006
  • Chokri Mohamed A., Serbaji M. M., Sandoz A., Sadoul N. & Medhioub K. - Apport des systèmes d'informations géographiques (SIG) pour une meilleure gestion des zones humides péri-urbaines : le salin de Thyna, Sfax, Tunisie, SIG2006, Issy-les-Moulineaux, 11 et 12 octobre 2006
  • Sandoz A. & Thauvin N. - Wetland habitats and flooding durations satellite monitoring, GlobWetland Symposium, ESRIN Rome-Frascati, Italy, 19-20 October 2006
  • Sandoz A. - Inventaire et suivi des conditions environnementales. Journée technique CRIGe ADETEL : Télédétection : données, outils et applications Thématiques (risques, environnement, agriculture), Aix-en-Provence, novembre 2006

Reports:

  • Thauvin N. 2006 - Utilisation des techniques d’observation spatiale appliquées à l’inventaire et au suivi des zones humides méditerranéennes. Mémoire d'ingénieur maître de l'IUP Environnement, Université de Provence (Aix-Marseille I).
  • Clérici S. 2006 - Etude de faisabilité d’un protocole de suivi par télédétection : l’impact du pâturage extensif bovin sur la biomasse fraîche. Mémoire d'ingénieur maître de l'IUP Environnement, Université de Provence (Aix-Marseille I).

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