Pedagogical Puzzle of French Watersheds

We first heard of NatExplorers was in February 2022, when Barbara Réthoré contacted us to ask if they could use our map of the French river basin to help with their next project. The Loire Sentinelle project in summer 2022 was both scientific and artistic, making it a perfect match for our map. Barbara and her partner, Julien Chapuis, walked and canoed along the Loire River over the course of 80 days, covering a total distance of 1,000 km, and conducted the first ever joint assessment of plastic contamination (via microplastic sampling) and global biodiversity (via environmental DNA sampling) across the entire Loire continuum. During their stopovers, they met locals, organised creative programmes for the public, and raised awareness of nature conservation in the Loire watershed with the help of local artists.

Many volunteers help NatExplorers with their important work. One of these volunteers is Estelle, who has developed educational resources to raise awareness of the health of the Loire River and its biodiversity. We decided that our colourful map of France would provide the perfect base for a puzzle that people of all ages could enjoy.

The puzzle was so successful that they felt the need to improve it by recreating it from a sturdier material. With the help of a professional modeller and after several weeks of learning and experimenting, Estelle finished the puzzle. The finishing touch was to hand-paint all the pieces, which was a long and thorough process, but, as you can see, it was worth every minute. The final piece measures 34 x 36 cm and is made of local cherry wood. It's certainly the best thing that has ever happened to our map of France.

The new puzzle will be used at some events in the summer and on Barbara and Julien's new expedition later in the year. We are very much looking forward to seeing the puzzle in action and wish NatExplorers all the best on their journey.

Photos in this article are from Natexplorers, used with permission.