The Site represents a group of wetlands characteristic of the Mediterranean coastline. Its habitats are large spatial units covering several thousand hectares. The Camargue is renowned for its birds, and boasts just over half of the species found in France, including ten species of heron (ardeidae), 27 ducks and geese (anatidae), 31 waders, 15 gulls and terns (laridae), and 28 other birds. A total of 356 bird species use the area, including more than 250 waterfowl (75% of the waterfowl species recorded in France). Camargue is home to a large population of European pond terrapin (Emys orbicularis), the only remaining core population on the Mediterranean coast and in France. As the wetlands in the Camargue are directly or indirectly linked to anthropogenic water management, particularly for agriculture, changes in practices linked to socio-economic issues are bound to have an impact, often negative, on their conservation status and management. Other human activities include tourism, hunting and fishing.