What is this bird that lands in your garden? You know well that it is a tit, but which ? A blue one? Coal pit? A long-tailed one? There are enthusiasts for whom it would only take a few seconds to identify it. And which would do the same for a large number of species of fauna and flora. “It’s impressive to see,” assures Frédéric Melki, founder of Biotope, research office on biodiversity issues. There are naturalists capable of identifying an animal just by seeing its shadow. »
So why shouldn’t they, like cooks, pastry chefs, real estate agents – and so on – be entitled to their competition for the best naturalist in France ? This is what Biotope wants to do, by launching a major online quiz on December 13 (registrations here). The first stage of a competition which will bring together ten finalists in Paris in February. Frédéric Melki explains all this to us. And we promise, the winner doesn’t just leave with an encyclopedia.
Can we start by recalling what the Biotope foundation is?
Before being a foundation, Biotope is a company which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. We have 800 employees in France and internationally, and our core business is biodiversity. We mainly carry out impact studies on biodiversity upstream of development projects of all kinds. [bâtiments, infrastructures routières, énergétiques…]. We also bring our expertise to better take into account biodiversity issues in these projects.
At the same time, since 2014, we have launched a corporate foundation whose aim is to disseminate knowledge and research questions around biodiversity issues. In this context, we publish a periodical, The Biotope Foundation notebooks. We also provide financial assistance for biodiversity preservation projects, and we participate in major projects, with communities and NGOs, aimed at improving knowledge of the living world in France and internationally.
How did this idea of a competition for the best naturalist in France come about?
We were looking for something to mark our thirtieth anniversary. We observed that nothing today values or rewards naturalist know-how, this sometimes encyclopedic knowledge of certain people about the fauna and flora of France. However, I assure you, it is impressive to see someone capable of identifying a bird just by observing its shadow.
Is the model “Top Chef” or “The best pastry chef”?
Why not in the future… If a producer is interested, we probably won’t say no. We could imagine lots of tests on the ground, in nature. And such a program would be an opportunity to educate on biodiversity issues. But for our first edition, we are not aiming so big. Our competition will take the form of quizzes.
How will the competition take place?
The first part will take place online on December 13. There are already 330 registered. For half an hour, you will have to answer, each time within a given time to avoid online cheating, a whole series of questions about the fauna and flora of France. Seven taxonomic groups will be screened, with ten questions for each. From plants to invertebrates, including fish, birds… Both metropolitan and overseas. Half of the quiz will be at a level that could be said to be relatively easy, and the other half will be more difficult. And it won’t always be written questions. For some, you will need to be able to recognize species from sounds or images. We will select the ten best candidates, who will be brought on February 19 to the Aquarium de la Porte Dorée, in Paris, for the second part of the competition. Still in the form of a quiz, but much more difficult.
Can everyone try their luck?
Yes, everyone, whatever their level. It is certain that, in the final, we will only have sizes. But we must not censor ourselves. Anyone can register and participate. There is no age. I also know young people aged 15-16 who already have an incredible level. And that’s also the goal: to allow as many people as possible to test their knowledge of nature in France. And why not pique the curiosity of some and make them potential naturalists.
We have a great need for naturalists today?
An immense need, even. Regulations in France, and very often also abroad, require before any development project to be carried out in advance an initial state of the environment. In short: an inventory of the fauna and flora existing on the selected site. For that, we need naturalists.
And then, for those who want to advance their studies as naturalists, we can become taxonomists. These scientists’ mission is to discover, identify, name and classify species on Earth. As biodiversity collapses, this classification of living things must be a priority. Without this initial work, species will disappear before they have even been identified, before we have even tried to protect them. There’s nothing worse. As in mainland France, we have a pretty good knowledge of the fauna and flora. Even in certain corners of the globe, we barely know 10%. However, these are regions for which major development projects exist. Mines, dams…
Paradoxically, we hardly train naturalists anymore. For two decades, the choice has been made, in French universities, to emphasize other key issues in the natural sciences. Molecular biology, in particular. Some are returning to it little by little, but it remains too timid. We feel it well at Biotope. Our business could grow much more. The problem is that we have a hard time recruiting naturalists.
That’s not all, but what does the winner win?
So, precisely, on this subject, we are still looking for partners. Some have already shown strong interest, starting with National Museum of Natural History. We would like to have a few more to have nice lots. But we already know that for the first three, the reward will be a naturalist trip to Europe with people from the Biotope foundation. The seven other finalists will have vouchers for Club Biotope, our foundation’s store specializing in scientific publishing and equipment for naturalists.