In September, I visited the unique landscape of the Camargue in the south of France.
It was an anniversary holiday, and I mostly focused on relaxing and trying to photograph the region’s wildlife. But it was hard to avoid issues around sustainability and climate.
It’s a very different landscape from my native Pennine Yorkshire – the highest point in the Camargue national park is just a few metres above sea level.
That makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change. The flamingos will survive, but it could be bad news for the region’s people.
Parts of the Camargue coastline are suffering the worst erosion anywhere on the Mediterranean. Rising sea levels are also increasing the salinity of the soil in many parts, damaging rice and feed production.
The centuries-old dykes have been bolstered by newer river dams and sea defences, but plans for further adaptation are creating tensions. In some ways, it’s similar to the arguments about rewilding in the UK. Proposals to allow the sea to reclaim some areas are clashing with the economic imperatives of local farmers and the salt harvesting industry.
We stayed in a gite on a historic farming estate, or mas, surrounded by marshlands. I managed to chat to the owner, in stilted franglais, about how he was maintaining some traditional farming methods – necessary to keep AOP (appellation d’origine protégée) status for the excellent Camargue beef – while adopting modern sustainable practices and adapting to the changing climate.
The local cattle are also bred for bullfighting. We saw a demonstration of young razeteurs facing bullocks as part of the rice harvest festival in Arles.
Unlike the Spanish corrida, the bull isn’t intentionally harmed in the course camarguaise. But while I respect the skills and nerve of the human participants, my sympathies remained very much with the bulls.
Practical notes
We travelled to Arles by train, with a few days in Paris en route. Inevitably, the only delay was before we left Yorkshire.
We then rented a hybrid car to get around. The rental company didn’t offer electrics, though there was a charger at the gite.
As we were travelling light, I packed only one lens – a Canon RF 24-240mm, on an R6 body. I’ve always been sceptical of superzooms, as the extended range usually comes at the expense of image quality.
Having put the lens through its paces in a variety of conditions, I am impressed with its performance across the range. It’s not a replacement for a selection of decent primes or standard zooms, but it’s a good jack-of-all-trades for travel or for when flexibility is key.