News

Here is one of the last refuges for snakes in the south of Deux-Sèvres: the Chizé forest. A monitoring by scientists of the Centre d’études biologiques de Chizé (CNRS) for more than 25 years allows to demonstrate the very strong link between snakes and their habitat. These inventories carried out over the long term, with…
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The global seabird population has halved over the last five decades. The decline of the Northern Gannet, although among the most resilient, indicates that the level of disturbance to marine ecosystems is reaching a critical threshold. This worrying alarm signal must lead to the urgent transformation of maritime policies, particularly on fisheries. Publication cited in…
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An exceptional expedition to a lost island in the Southern Lands where man hadn’t set foot for 40 years. The Isle of Pigs, an integral nature reserve, was home to the world’s largest colony of king penguins. Aerial photos revealed a significant decline in the penguin population. In November 2019 scientists are sent on site…
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Seabirds are exposed to alarming levels of mercury in the Arctic Ocean, an ecosystem where the methylation and bioaccumulation pathways of this pollutant of major concern are not fully known. A new study led by the Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés laboratory (LIENSs – CNRS / University of La Rochelle) in collaboration with the Institut des…
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OCEAN SENTINEL (France), creates environmental and a policy impact by preserving the most threatened marine species including albatrosses, sharks, sea turtles, thus protecting the ecosystem. The project comprises an innovative technology to detect illegal fishing activity and gathers information for authorities, regional fishing and conservation agreements and non-governmental organization that are fighting to preserve the…
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Climate change is taking the Arctic into a new ecological state. To understand the consequences of the upheavals this region is undergoing, an international research consortium, including researchers from the Centre d’études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC – CNRS / University of La Rochelle) and the Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés laboratory (LIENSs – CNRS / University…
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The New Aquitaine region has awarded David Grémillet and Charles-André Bost (Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé CNRS- La Rochelle University) a 4-year regional chair of excellence, which will enable them to lead a regional research center focused on the ecology and conservation of marine birds and mammals. Read more

They put microphones in sunflower fields… to count bees and other pollinators! Discover, in this report broadcast in partnership with LeMonde.fr, the clever experiments carried out by a team from the Chizé Center for Biological Studies and its partners in the Plaine & Val de Sèvre Workshop Zone to study these different insects and their…
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PFAS chemical molecules, also known as perfluorinated pollutants or eternal pollutants, are part of our everyday life. It has been shown since the 2000s that these elements contaminate ecosystems, even in areas far removed from human activities, such as the Arctic regions. However, a study by the Center for Biological Studies in Chizé and its…
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The chemicals we use in our cities can pollute regions… thousands of miles away! Follow a Franco-Norwegian team as they follow the trail of fluorinated compounds, used in our waterproofing and non-stick surfaces, as they travel to the Arctic Circle where they accumulate in the bodies of seagulls. See Aurélien Prudor’s film