Bringing our Community of Practice to Tour du Valat

Last week, BiodivEarth held the third in-person meeting of its Community of Practice (CoP) at Tour du Valat, in the Camargue, France. Dedicated to the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands, Tour du Valat provided an inspiring setting for several days of exchange between researchers and practitioners working across BiodivEarth’s pilot sites.

By gathering the Community of Practice in a place where research, conservation, policy and local engagement are closely connected, the meeting created valuable opportunities to link scientific work with field-based experience. Throughout the week, participants deepened their understanding of Tour du Valat’s long-standing work while also advancing BiodivEarth’s own collaborative research and learning agenda.

Exploring Tour du Valat’s work and experience

A first part of the workshop focused on discovering Tour du Valat’s landscapes, activities and approaches to biodiversity conservation. Participants explored the Tour du Valat estate, much of which is designated as a regional nature reserve and hosts remarkable biodiversity, including more than 300 bird species. This visit offered insight into the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands and the ecological significance of the Camargue.

The agenda also included a visit to the Marais du Verdier, a 120-hectare wetland managed by local residents. For the BiodivEarth Community of Practice, this was a particularly valuable moment of exchange, as the site offers a concrete example of collaborative governance and long-term community stewardship. It provided useful perspectives on the question of community buy-in and on the conditions that can support local engagement in biodiversity conservation.

Participants also had the opportunity to learn more about Tour du Valat’s agroecological initiatives at the Petit Saint-Jean estate, where agricultural production and biodiversity objectives are closely linked. Through a presentation and a tasting of the estate’s organic wine, CoP members discovered another dimension of Tour du Valat’s work and its efforts to reconcile farming practices with biodiversity conservation.

Advancing BiodivEarth’s collaborative research and learning agenda

Alongside these visits and exchanges, the workshop marked an important step forward for BiodivEarth’s own work. A new CoP learning theme was launched on the question of how to achieve community buy-in around a proposed stewardship model, opening a first exchange of experiences among pilot sites. Participants also presented and discussed the preliminary results of BiodivEarth’s research component with CoP researchers, site practitioners and members of the Tour du Valat team. Their feedback will help refine the project’s protocols and inform the next stages of the research.

Looking ahead

BiodivEarth would like to warmly thank all Community of Practice members for their active engagement throughout the meeting, and Tour du Valat for its generous welcome and support in hosting the workshop. Particular thanks go to all those who shared their knowledge of the site, contributed their scientific expertise to discussions on the research protocols, and guided participants through Tour du Valat’s remarkable landscapes, helping the group gain a deeper understanding of the site’s ecological importance, mission and activities.

The meeting generated new ideas, valuable feedback and renewed momentum for the next phase of the project. BiodivEarth now looks forward to building on these exchanges and developing new collaborations as the consortium continues working to diagnose and strengthen resilience in high-biodiversity areas.