TOUR DU VALAT

A research centre for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands

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Monitoring programme for the Camargue

Map of the Camargue delta

Project leader: Christian PERENNOU (See the CV)

Team:

Philippe Chauvelon, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Patrick Grillas, Brigitte Poulin, Alain Sandoz


The Rhône delta is not a fixed entity: monitoring its evolution through time is a complex yet stimulating task. This is why since 2001, the Tour du Valat has been one of the key founding partners of the Observatoire Camargue (OC), an Observatory of the whole delta which is currently hosted by the Camargue Regional Park. This Observatory mission is to ensure the delta’s management is a sustainable one.

In this context, the Tour du Valat has developed for the period 2006-10 its project « Monitoring the Camargue » as a contribution to this Observatory.

The main objectives of the project are:

  • To define and establish (with partners in the delta) an integrated monitoring programme for the Camargue
  • Contribute to identify underlying causes for ecological changes taking place in the Camargue
  • Make sure that decisions are made on the Camargue territory with the best knowledge available
  • Ensure a broad public support for the conservation of the Camargue, through a regular flow of information presented in an attractive way.

Contents:


Issues :

Ever since its creation, the Tour du Valat had initiated various monitoring programmes for the birds of the Camargue, then for its flora and habitats. Today 20, 30 or even 50 years after launching them, these programmes enable us to visualize the evolution of the Camargue biodiversity as a whole: flamingos, herons, terns, gulls and waders, fish, temporary marsh plants,... Furthermore, in recent decades, various other organisations have also collected systematic data on the delta, on ever more diverse themes: socio-economic activities, pollutions, climate, other fauna or flora components,… Hundreds of parameters are thus measured regularly, which could help give an overall vision of how the territory is changing.

But, as they are dispersed over dozens of organizations, in hundreds of publications or unpublished technical reports, these data are not easily accessible. Therefore, as early as 2001, a few key partners in the Camargue (Tour du Valat, Camargue National Reserve, Camargue Natural Regional Park, Syndicat mixte pour la gestion et la protection de la Camargue Gardoise, CNRS/ DESMID, Arles Municipality - Environment Dept.) gathered in order to create the Camargue Observatory, in order to:

  • Acquire a shared knowledge of the territory
  • Assist public decision-making and the evaluation of public policies relevant to the delta
  • Inform
  • Gain recognition for the various partners’ knowledge and know-how.

Furthermore, and beyond the Rhône Delta, this project has a potential value to serve as an example of a « Integrated Monitoring Programme for a wetland », which can be transferred to other parts of the Mediterranean region.


Activities:

As a first, voluntary and own-funded contribution towards the Observatory Camargue, and in partnership with the CNRS-CEFE, the Camargue National Reserve and Camargue Natural Regional Park, Tour du Valat began in 2006 to compile and summarize all monitoring programmes that can help show a recent evolution of the Camargue.


Partners:


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