Plants champion self-defense

Emmanuelle Chevalier, a native of Yvelines, holds a post-graduate diploma in biology and biotechnology, where she spent her childhood, her studies and the start of her professional career in industry. A change of life led her to move to Carqueiranne in 2018. This new start and the approach of her forties gave her the desire to start something else linked to nature and her childhood memories..

She recalls vacations in the countryside with her grandparents in Indre, where her grandfather had a vegetable garden, and her grandmother cooked vegetables and herbs from the garden:"For me, living in the city, it was real life..." She confirms that she has always been interested in nature, but frustrated at not knowing anything about it.

So she began a three-year course in botany and medicinal plants at the École des Plantes de Paris. At the same time, since 2008, Emmanuelle has been providing first-aid training as a volunteer with a humanitarian association.

And, since 2015, I've been a trainer of trainers. It was a revelation, I loved the animation and transmission side of things. So, at the time of my training, I realized that I already had a background that could enable me to pass on what I was learning.

But to do so, she set herself a goal:"Botany can seem complex and quickly become off-putting. But what I wanted was to make it accessible to everyone".

She had already devised a series of themed outings when, in September 2022, she learned that the Parc national de Port-Cros was launching a call for initiatives as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations. She presented a project with three highly original botanical outings in the Parc National territory, all of which were marked, and passed the federal hiking guide certification to ensure that the outings took place in complete safety. an immediate success: "Participants appreciated the fun, participatory aspect that I tried to incorporate".

The Esprit parc national brand?

It was an obvious choice for me after that first experience... It made perfect sense to join the scheme. It's an opportunity for a more lasting partnership, because we share the same values! Starting with environmental protection. People are finally feeling the need to reconnect with nature, but they don't necessarily have the opportunity to learn about it, because we protect what we know. With my outings, I hope to contribute to this reconnection between man and his environment. I also share with the National Park the idea that preservation doesn't necessarily mean putting things under a bell. I think there's a lot of degradation due to lack of knowledge. So sharing knowledge is another way of protecting. I think I can benefit from this in the sense that I'm part of a network of partners with complementary activities. It's interesting and constructive to exchange ideas with people who share common values.

For her, being branded :

It's official recognition, it gives me credibility and the desire to go further. In fact,I'm thinking about new outings to the islands, perhaps more advanced training courses and introductions to essential oils, for which I've taken another course.