Functioning & Organisation

How the device LTSER ZACAM works

The Camargue Health-Environment Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research platform (LTSER ZACAM or simply ZACAM) is not a traditional institutional structure — it has no legal status of its own. Rather, it is a dedicated mechanism/device supported by the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research).ZACAM is designed to foster long-term interdisciplinary research in close collaboration with local stakeholders. It brings together core and associate research laboratories and their scientists, alongside public, private, and non-profit partners, to address the intertwined challenges of health and the environment in the Camargue. ZACAM operates through the commitment of its members and partners, and relies on the full-time equivalent (FTE) contributions provided by staff involved in research projects or thematic working groups. It is neither a research laboratory, nor a federation of laboratories, nor an association. Rather, ZACAM functions as an interdisciplinary research platform, rooted in the CNRS national long-term research infrastructure network, from which its model is derived. 

Objectives :

• Characterising the elationships between man and nature
• Respond to major health-related societal challenges in the Camargue
• Guide the Camargue socio-ecosystem toward resilience and sustainability
• Provide decision-makers with a robust knowledge base for informed action