Results from pathfinder projects

Pastoral activity is currently the subject of much debate regarding its future forms, its place within territories and its role in socio-ecosystems. This is particularly true in Mediterranean mountain regions, which in recent decades have shifted towards a residential and tourist economy and are facing rapid forest expansion as well as the effects of climate change.

The mountain forest as a sentinel of climate change and uses. Mountain areas are particularly sensitive to the combined effects of climate change and land use change. Indeed, the climate in mountain areas is warming faster than in other regions, and in Europe, mountains underwent significant reforestation at the beginning of the century. These changes have already led to significant reorganisation of biodiversity, with consequences for the functions and services provided by mountain ecosystems. Future climate change is likely to amplify these reorganisations.

Understanding the link between biodiversity and the level of ecosystem service supply is complex. The relationship is not linear or unidirectional and it can be influenced by climate variables. We studied this relationship through adapted statistical models, in a grassland context.

The assessment of the conservation status of forest habitats is mainly based on indirect methods describing the habitat (structural indices, and composition). Concerning species of conservation concern, the contribution of forest structural elements to their status is still poorly understood, and consequently, the link between the conservation of natural habitats and the conservation of species remains relatively unclear—particularly the respective roles of Tree-Related Microhabitats such as black woodpecker cavities and forest maturity.

The management of invasive alien species (IAS) is a complex problem requiring interdisciplinary approaches that combine ecology and economics. Bio-economic decision-making tools are still underdeveloped. Existing models suffer from a lack of ecological realism, from a high level of complexity that makes them hardly usable for applied management problems, and from a relative disconnection from the needs of environmental managers. In other words, although these models have all the ingredients needed for becoming decision-making tools, they remain mainly restricted to the academic sphere and their results have little impact on management.

Studying the dynamics of plant biodiversity, from its emergence to its dispersal by water. Agricultural intensification has degraded ecosystems, and it is now necessary to take greater account of the role of biodiversity in agrosystems and its importance for ecosystem services provision. For the past two decades, cultivators in vineyards have been improving their sustainable management practices, developing a vegetation cover inside inter-rows to limit soil erosion, and an extensive management of plot edges and networks of ditches. These practices support the development of a spontaneous vegetation cover, a source of numerous ecosystem services including for example runoff regulation, water erosion mitigation and organic pollutants retention.  This is a major challenge, particularly in Mediterranean vineyards, where climate change is likely to increase the frequency of intense rainfall.

The latest IPBES report (2022) makes the alarming observation that biodiversity continues to decline globally. In agricultural areas, the intensification of practices is the main pressure associated with this decline. Numerous initiatives have been launched in Europe to support farmers who are motivated to welcome rich biodiversity onto their farms. The CAP's Agri-Environmental Measures (AEMs) are ‘action-oriented’ and come with financial incentives for farmers who commit to ‘good’ practices. However, their effectiveness is controversial. As these approaches are mainly guided by a ‘means-based approach’, some scientists suggest that they should be clearly geared towards delivering concrete results. In other words, payments should be conditional on the achievement of results. Shouldn't we take a different approach to preserving biodiversity? Wouldn't it be better to think and act in a ‘results-based approach’?

Numerous studies show the central role played by agricultural systems in the collapse of biodiversity. Assessing the performance of farming systems with respect to biodiversity conservation is an essential step in supporting their agro-ecological transition. However, predictive biodiversity indicators are scarce, particularly at landscape level. Yet the landscape is the most appropriate level of ecological organization for assessing the impact of agricultural systems on biodiversity.

For several decades, due to the rapid and alarming decline in biodiversity, monitoring environmental changes has become a crucial issue. Traditional methods of biodiversity monitoring are no longer adequate, and it is necessary to consider automating the collection of samples using images, videos, and sounds.

Biodiversity is the baseline of all ecosystem services and thus represents an essential supporting service. The lakes and ponds of the Aquitaine coastline are unique ecosystems at both the national and European levels. They host significant biological diversity, especially from a plant perspective, but are currently under severe threat. While the taxonomic diversity of these communities is well-known, the knowledge of their genetic diversity is currently non-existent. Improving this knowledge however appears essential for better management of these ecosystems, particularly for their endangered species.