This project is co-funded by the LIFE programme of the European Union
International symposium in Antibes - November 29th and 30th 2021 - Life Samfix
On November 2021, the 29th and 30th, UEVT and URZF INRAE organized a successful international symposium in Antibes, with the participation and support of the city of Antibes, as part of the 4th Rencontres de Thuret. The objective was to have a global vision and to raise awareness on invasive species in Mediterranean region. A large focus was on LIFE SAMFIX project with several conferences on the subject and a large communication on the two new scolytids: Xylosandrus compactus and Xylosandrus crassiusculus. The main objective of the event was to present the current work and results of SAMFIX project to the scientific community and to a large audience of professionals.
The opening of the conference to other biological invasions, both plant and animal, attracted a large audience, facilitate the transfer of general scientific information on invasive species in the Mediterranean region to the main stakeholders and raise their awareness to SAMFIX project. This was highlighted by the lectures and the distribution of specific documentation, in particular questionnaires to assess the sensitivity of those present and their investment potential in SAMFIX citizen sciences, around 100 informative SAMFIX leaflets were distributed to the participants. In the afternoon of November, 29th, through several lectures, LIFE SAMFIX project has been presented by Marie-Anne Auger-Rozenberg, Alain Roques, Cécile Robin, Carole Kerdelhué and Massimo Faccoli, with the advances in research on scolytids invasions, and on their pressure on Mediterranean forests.
The next morning was devoted to lectures on monitoring and management of these invasions; in the afternoon a guided tour of Villa Thuret botanical garden has been offered and the presentation of SAMFIX traps in the field, to visualize symptoms and to show models of insects and damages; a scientific poster session stimulated discussions and exchanges.
The event was an opportunity for rising consciousness and training for managers, staff and experts of natural parks and botanic conservatory, forest and plan protection managers, scientists, botanical gardens manager and staff and gardeners of cities and communities of PACA region.
All total, 102 people attended the event, including 51 representatives of local and national institutions and representatives from 3 regional and national parks.