The primary vocation of the Centre for Biological Studies in Chizé is to understand how species adapt - or disappear - in the face of natural changes or those induced by man's use of nature, both on land and at sea. In the marine field, the CEBC is particularly interested in the effects of global changes (i.e. global warming, changes in the use and exploitation of fisheries resources, pollution, habitat degradation and introduced species) on the ecology at sea, the dynamics of marine bird and mammal populations and their conservation. These species are also used as reliable indicators of the state of marine ecosystems, which they help to bio-sample. The PELAGIS Observatory, supported by the CEBC's marine predator team, manages the spatial databases (observation at sea, telemetry), de-spotting, counting and demographic monitoring (tagging and recapture) as well as the oceanographic database bio-sampled by marine mammals (National Observation System - Mammals Sampling in the Ocean Environment). The activities are deployed in polar, temperate environments along the French coasts and in tropical environments.
