Laurence

The man who flies to the rescue of vultures

Tour du monde d’une éco-volontaire : les voutours de Croatie (1/4)Le soir vers 22 heures, j’arrive enfin à mon lieu de destination, à Caput Insulae, sur l’île de Cres, dans un centre chargé de préserver le vautour fauve. Un endroit loin des strass et des paillettes encore inconnu des branchés de ce monde. Robert, un …

Laetitia Becker, a young researcher at the bedside of wolves in Russia

Dans un village au coeur de la Russie, Laetitia Becker, fondatrice de Lupus Laetus, mène des recherches sur les loups. Au milieu de cet animal mythique plusieurs heures par jour, elle partage son expérience. Rencontre avec une jeune femme dont le hurlement est désormais connu des loups. Eco-volontaire.com : Laetitia, vous préparez actuellement une thèse …

Tour du monde d’une éco-volontaire : le village des tortues à Gonfaron (7/7). Nous sommes quatre à prendre congés ce week-end. Pour l’occasion, l’assistante de la responsable scientifique, nous amène – les anciens – sur terrain voir des tortues en liberté. Nous partons tôt le matin arpenter le maquis et observer madame hermann gambader, mais …

Tour du monde d’une éco-volontaire : le village des tortues à Gonfaron (6/7). La relève arrive. Ouf ! La soudure entre les mois de juillet et août a été assurée. Jean, Bérangère et moi pouvons enfin souffler. Nous sommes même en sur-effectif, il n’y a pas assez de place pour tout le monde. Ce n’est …

Turtles in the spotlight at a freeway service area

An eco-volunteer's world tour: the turtle village in Gonfaron (5/7). Saturday, July 29, Vidauban area. The men in yellow are on their guard, and the very, very smart Bison has announced a black day! Thousands and thousands of motorists will be on the road, and this is an opportunity for companies and associations to occupy the area. The Turtle Village has chosen one of the busiest service areas in the south of France to make its presence felt. I find myself in a huge hall, between a snack bar, a café and a newspaper shop. In the middle of the flow of bipeds entering, thirsty and dripping with sweat after several hours on the road, there I sit, surrounded by four panels on the life of Madame Hermann and the dangers she faces. My mission is simple: to stop the "Julytists" and "Augustists" in their mad rush and tell them about the little tortoise of the Moors.

An ecovolunteer's world tour: the turtle village in Gonfaron (4/7)

Day at the snack bar. I'm replacing a perm, who's taking the day off. The only thing I can hope for is that there's hardly anyone there. I'm not looking forward to juggling Italian-style ice cream, the deep fryer and the coffee machine. In the end, the morning is even quieter than I'd hoped. So I immerse myself in a book about turtles written by the center's manager. I learn a great deal, not least about the popularity of this reptile, which was once considered the messenger of evil, as it emerged from the earth with the arrival of spring. Fortunately, in the meantime, La Fontaine 's worms have done their job, making the tortoise a much-loved reptile - perhaps a little too much so.

Two turtles arrive at the village clinic

Tour du monde d’une éco-volontaire : le village des tortues à Gonfaron (3/7). Quinze jours et déjà des au-revoirs. Ici, les bénévoles restent entre deux semaines et deux mois. Aujourd’hui, Philippe et Hermine s’en vont, je les aimais bien. Mais les rencontres et les séparations, en voyage, c’est la règle. J’y suis habituée. Echange de …

Tour du monde d’une éco-volontaire : le village des tortues de Gonfaron (2/7)  . Début de la journée au magasin. Je tiens la boutique et m’occupe des entrées avec Philippe. Lui, il n’a jamais travaillé, c’est un jeune étudiant en biologie qui en sait beaucoup sur les histoires de génétique et de biodiversité. Moi, cela fait …

An eco-volunteer's world tour: the turtle village of Gonfaron (1/7). The rucksack is hastily packed. I only take the bare minimum, and I'm light on the pharmacy as I'm staying in France. A second, smaller rucksack, positioned on my stomach, takes a little more time with the computer, camera and various cables.
I get on the train and head for Gonfaron listening to Tahitian music, slipping into a gentle torpor accompanied by Emma's songs from the famous belle époque and Tahiti Talk "De l'autre côté du monde". The train plunges into an increasingly Mediterranean setting, revealing the first umbrella pines and cork oaks planted on the white limestone cliffs.

uniscite civil service for environmental protection

TheUnis-Cités association, which recruits young people for civil service, has just launched the Médiaterre program (October 2009). For the first pilot year, 120 young volunteers will be working on environmental issues in working-class neighborhoods.

The man who flies to the rescue of vultures

Laetitia Becker, a young researcher at the bedside of wolves in Russia

Hermann's tortoise could disappear

The garrigue goes up in smoke

Turtles in the spotlight at a freeway service area

Turtles in the collective imagination

Two turtles arrive at the village clinic

The earth is overheating in Turtle Village

Turtle village: love at first sight for Ms Hermann

Médiaterre: your civil service in environmental protection