Jean-Yves Barnagaud is an associate professor in Montpellier, where he teaches ecology and statistical analysis. His recent work has focused on the analysis of data gathered by volunteers to investigate bird distribution and diversity patterns, with a specific interest in the influence of land-use practices on bird and reptile community dynamics. He has also been involved in several national and regional atlas projects and regularly collaborates with land managers in local conservation initiatives. As a birdwatcher, he has regularly visited France’s major birding sites over the last two decades, focusing on migration stopover places in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Brittany and his current location on the Mediterranean coast between the Camargue and the Pyrenees.