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Mission Azami
The Marineland Association collects data on the Provence Stone Grasshopper in order to protect this local endangered species
The Provence Stone Grasshopper (Prionotropis azami), is listed as Endangered on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of endangered species. It owes its French name ("cricket hérisson" meaning "hedgehog cricket") to the numerous small protrusions, known as spinules, on its shins and back. This grasshopper lives only in the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var, essentially on medium-altitude limestone plateaus.
The Marineland Association, with its experience in various conservation programmes, has put its skills and human and material resources to work in order to get to know this grasshopper better, which had previously been very poorly documented, with the aim of better protecting it. Indeed, preserving species and their environment starts with the acquisition of knowledge.
Have you heard of the Provence Stone Grasshopper?
After two field trips in conjunction with the Conservatoire d'Espaces Naturels de Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur, a team of volunteers from the Marineland Association conducted an in-depth study in 2021 with one trip per week during the entire cricket season, i.e. the period from June to August. This programme was renewed in 2022, with field trips during the summer of 2022.
The objective of this "Azami" mission is to collect data on the ecology and physiology of the species; the results will enrich the data already collected by local partners, for a better understanding of these populations.
