Elise Cougnenc, member of the LPO

DR Parc national de Port-Cros

"Giving keys to understanding is important to apprehend an environment..."

Of a reserved nature, but with something in her eyes that translates a deep conviction, Élise Cougnenc comes from a family "that has lived in nature for generations. A small village in the Hérault region near the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park

After a Baccalaureate S, she started a degree in biology in Montpellier, followed by a master's degree in "Biodiversity Management" in Toulouse.

But university is very theoretical, I had to go into the field!

From 2007 to 2009, the young graduate went on several eco-volunteer experiences:

That's how I joined the LPO in Vendée for migration monitoring. Then, I was in charge of welcoming the public on the island of Ré and I went to Guadeloupe to study marine turtles.

She also stopped over in the Var at Soptom* to monitor Hermann's turtles "before getting a fixed-term contract at the CNRS in Chizé, near Niort, for a participative science mission on nesting boxes".

Hired in 2010 at the LPO for a position of nature coordinator on the salt flats of Hyères*, she discovers the two sites and her mission... which she speaks about with the same conviction:

It's varied, interesting. Each outing is different, you never know what species you'll see. And I like the variety of the public: the locals who discover their territory as well as the vacationers who come to meet a new environment. We try to raise awareness, because we only protect what we know, and that starts at a very young age! It is important to give keys of understanding to apprehend an environment. But it's an exchange because we don't have an infused science.

For her, the National Park of Port-Cros is "an essential partner " of the LPO:

We have the same objectives, the same approach, we work on the territory of the Park, so it's important to associate through the brand Esprit parc national. It allows us to support our discourse.

The Vieux Salins site, the oldest in Hyères, "the wildest" according to her, welcomes the public all year round for birdwatching tours.

You can't get enough of it; I particularly like the site in the early hours of the day when everything is quiet, when everyone is sleeping... except the birds!