Plages vivantes: Laisse de mer

Plages vivantes: Laisse de mer is a participatory biodiversity observatory of high shores oriented around the sea leashes for school children, walkers, fishermen gathering by hand and naturalists to better understand its changes and conservation issues.

The Laisse de mer project is part of a larger programme of the participatory observatory Plages vivantes, whose objective is to follow the various compartments related to the sea leash (algae, invertebrates, birds). Such a project will make it possible to obtain large-scale data, both representative and scientifically exploitable, on these compartments in order to better understand their dynamics, in connection with the global changes (locally and globally, in terms of management / anthropogenic pressures and climate change).

This approach will also be an opportunity to educate the public (school and extra-curriuclar) on functional and heritage issues associated with this particular ecosystem and involve it. Participants, by becoming involved in monitoring (thematic, issues), will become familiar with the scientific approach and will learn not only the issues associated with biodiversity (dynamics, conservation), but also those related to ecosystem management ("cleaning" beaches…).

Protocols developed as part of this participatory monitoring are designed to be simple, easy to implement and rigorous to produce large, standardised datasets to better understand the impact of global change on these high shores.

Firstly, a project Algues de la laisse (Alamer) for schools was developed in partnership with AME (Marine Educational Areas) of AFB (French Agency for Biodiversity), Planète mer (Biolit junior programme) and environmental education structures (Bretagne Vivante, CPIE, l’École des Glénans). After being tested by schools in Concarneau, it is currently being rolled out across the Channel-Atlantic coast and is part of the Vigie-nature École national programme.