Plants obviously play a fundamental role in ecosystems, and for human societies. Not only do they generate the vast bulk of the planet's primary production (through photosynthesis) hence creating the conditions on which most animals more or less directly depend, they also structure ecosystems and determine the distribution of animal species. However, this functional vision of plants should not mask their contribution to biodiversity, particularly in the Mediterranean region, which is the third richest hotspot on the planet in terms of floristic diversity . Almost half of the 30,000 species found in the Mediterranean basin are endemic to the region.

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Mélanie BILZ

Programme Officer IUCN - Freshwater Biodiversity Unit
Species Programme Red List Unit

"Assessing a species’ risk of extinction is a big task and we could not do this without all the voluntary experts…"

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Few links

• To know more about the aquatic plants red list
• Consult the Rapid List Tool website

"Young Researchers" Conference
As announced in the previous newsletter, the Tour du Valat, in close collaboration with the CEFE-CNRS (Montpellier) and IMEP (Aix-Marseille), is launching a series of conferences aimed at young researchers on the theme of Conservation Sciences in the Mediterranean region.
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Publishing of a general readership book on the ecology of health
The latest work by Michel Gauthier-Clerc, entitled "Une mouette est morte à l’Assemblée nationale" (A Gull died at the National Assembly), deals with the current emergence of infectious diseases originating from animals and particularly wildlife. The book – accessible to any reader – advocates an alliance between health sciences and ecology for better anticipation and management of these problems.
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Action Plan for the Greater Flamingo in Algeria
In the framework of the greater flamingo project, the Tour du Valat – in collaboration with a local team – has just published an action plan for the greater flamingo in Algeria. The aim of the plan is to study and protect the species nationwide, although with particular recommendations concerning the Garaet Ezzemoul and Sebkha d’El Goléa sites.
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Wetlands celebrate their 40th birthday!
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.
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Satellites, swamps and solutions
GlobWetland II is a Mediterranean region pilot project of the Ramsar Convention on wetlands financed by the European Space Agency. Its main aim is to facilitate the integration of remote sensing in the conservation and management of wetlands …
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Camargue: a new partnership to manage an exceptional site
The recent acquisition of almost 7000 hectares of former salinas is a golden opportunity to test and implement a large-scale management system favourable to the process of ecological restoration, fully incorporating the consequences of climate change.
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Some of our latest publications includes

Reliability of flipper-banded penguins as indicators of climate change
Auteurs : SARAUX C., LE BOHEC C., DURANT J.M., VIBLANC V.A., GAUTHIER-CLERC M., BEAUNE D., PARK Y.H., YOCCOZ N.G., STENSETH N.C. & LE MAHO Y.

The demography of space occupancy: measuring plant colonization and survival probabilities using related pin-point measurements.
Auteurs : DAMGAARD C., MERLIN A., MESLEARD F. & BONIS A.

Find all our current publications