Devenez acteurs du suivi de la biodiversité en ville!
Vous habitez Toulouse? Vous possédez un jardin ou habitez à proximité (moins de 20 m) d’un espace vert ?
Récupérez un nichoir gratuitement, installez-le chez vous dès cet automne et aidez les chercheurs à mieux comprendre l’effet des milieux urbains sur la reproduction des mésanges.
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What is participatory science?Another name for participatory science is citizen science because it makes it possible for anyone and everyone to take part in the adventure of science. Volunteer amateurs take part in research activities in the field, recording observations, taking measurements, counts and samples.
By sending their data to scientists who can then process and analyse them, they contribute not only to scientific progress but also to re-establishing or protecting nature.
The Natural History Museum and Toulouse City Hall offer a participatory science programme called “The Butterfly Observatory”.
Butterflies are very good indicators of biodiversity and the quality of natural environments, and reflect the health of our ecosystems. The national “Garden Butterfly Observatory” programme invites every citizen to observe butterflies in order to collect information to enable scientists to study changes in their population.
In essence, to enable scientists to perform analyses and understand ecological dynamics – in relation to climate change for example – they need a large volume of data to show them how butterflies are doing across France. There are not enough professional biologists to acquire sufficient data. So each observation counts. “The Garden Observatory” is therefore a genuine surveillance network of common species of butterfly. It is a major tool for the creation, in the coming years, of actions adapted to their protection and biodiversity in general.
By taking part in this programme you can get involved in the adventure of science. If you observe your own garden, you will be able to understand what is going on there, and it may also lead you to question your gardening methods, and may perhaps encourage you to change some of your behaviours: grow melliferous plants, let a few stinging nettles sprout in a corner of your garden, etc.
Taking part means having fun while observing nature, by getting in touch with it without needing to go very far. It means learning through better understanding of life in your garden.
Photos 1 : Papillon Aporia Crataegi Groupe Flickr du muséum, par luka116 ©Tous droits réservés
Photo 2 : Papillon flambé Iphiciclides Podalirius, ©maticg -Deviant art