This workshop will give you a deeper understanding of the incredibly rich flora and fauna in the Alps. We’ll identify many common and iconic plant and animal species, but this course will also show how every single species is extremely well adapted to its environment.

The course consists of 4 parts (order of subjects will depend on the weather):

The incredibly rich flora and fauna of the Alps  
- Why do mountainous areas have an incredible diversity of flora and fauna?
- Why is it especially important to preserve flora and fauna in mountainous areas?
- What are the biggest threats to nature in the Alps?
- What can you, as an IML, do to help?

Birds and mammals of the Alps
- What are the iconic and common birds in this region?
- How are these species adapted to their habitat?  

Deciduous and coniferous shrubs and trees
- Understanding the difference between deciduous and coniferous plants (needles vs leaf)  
- Identifying deciduous and coniferous shrubs and trees
- How are these species adapted to their habitat?

Flowers
- Identifying flowers at the Col des Montets
- how are these plants adapted to their environment?

Please bring:
 Appropriate sun protection
 Warm and waterproof clothing, for field work outside
 Picnic for lunch (coffee, tea and soft drinks are for sale in the chalet)
 Field guides on birds, flowers, trees and mammals of the Alps
 Note book and pens

The leader will provide extra field guides.

The botanical discovery trail at the Col des Montets starts at the Chalet of the Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserve. The trail forms a loop of less than 3 kilometres. The flora on this trail is so incredibly rich that we’ll find new plant species with every step, which means that this trail provides an extraordinary opportunity to study flowers as well as trees in their natural environment. We will also visit the taxidermy display (mainly mammals and birds) in the chalet. Although we’ll be in a mountain environment, risks are low. The botanical discovery trail is very well maintained on practically flat terrain, and there is a chalet where we can shelter in case of bad weather. During times of bad weather, we can continue the course inside the Chalet of the Aiguilles Rouges. We’ll take the most out of calmer spells to do as much field work outside as possible.

The workshop will be run by Simone van Velzen who has a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management and has completed a Master of Science (Agribusiness) at Greenwich University. Simone has also completed a PhD graduate course on Alpine Plant Life at the International Summer School of the University of Basel, Switzerland.

All bookings directly to Simone via simone_v_velzen@hotmail.com.

The workshop cost is 75 EUR. 10% of the workshop fee will be donated to the Aiguille Rouges Nature Reserve.

Once the workshop has been completed, please allow two weeks for CMS to be updated to reflect your attendance. This will be done automatically so you do not need to add the CPD yourself. Please bring your MT registration number with you to the workshop for the attendance form.

Start

08/08/2024 09:00

End

08/08/2024 17:00

Total Days

1

Maximum Bookings

12

Bookings

1

Venue

Parking des Aiguilles Rouge

Town

Vallorcine

County

Haute-Savoie

Postcode

74660

Country

France

Latitude

46.00432

Longitude

6.92398

Name

BAIML

Phone

+33781554608

Email