UE CHOIX 7

The expansion of the urban environment is leading to the fragmentation/destruction of natural habitats, conservation problems and a change in the relationship between man and nature. However, urban spaces can also be home to significant biodiversity in close proximity to man, which can then be used for conservation, awareness-raising, improving human well-being or even therapeutic purposes. It's a tall order to try to work in ecology while denying the existence and consequences of the urban environment and its particularities. The aim of this course is to help future ecology professionals find a compromise between urban development and respect for nature. Through courses given by a variety of professionals and a field trip to Montpellier, students will discover where (associations, consultancies, local authorities, etc.), with whom and how an ecologist can act in urban ecology.

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"I - Physical characterization and biogeochemical cycles of coastal marine ecosystems II - Biodiversity and functioning of coastal marine ecosystems III Coastal and marine law; Uses, conflicts and integrated management of the coastal zone. This course offers students a systemic approach to the study of coastal marine ecosystems from a highly multidisciplinary perspective. The physical structure of these ecosystems will be addressed through courses on their geomorphology and hydrology, with a particular focus on hydric couplings with the open sea and their watersheds. Their biogeochemistry will be addressed, in particular to describe carbon and nutrient flows through the water and sediment compartments. Several aspects of their biodiversity will be illustrated to describe the importance of these ecosystems as living environments for the species they support, and in particular the role of this biodiversity in their functioning. The coastal zone is densely populated by man (40% of the world's population). Particular attention will be paid to human uses (e.g. aquaculture) and their territorial planning, including the evaluation of their ecosystem services in an economic context, management and protection measures (e.g. Marine Protected Areas, Natura 2000), and professionals involved in the management of these environments will present practical feedback. Finally, the implications of the Law of the Sea for the management of coastal zones will be discussed. "

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The courses present 4 aspects of Conservation Biology, based on current scientific research in this discipline:  

1. Introduction to Biodiversity Conservation(BC): definition of Conservation Biology. Why conserve biodiversity? Who are the main players in BC and the role of science in BC. 
2. Species conservation: What are the priority species? How can species be conserved? How do you know if a species is "well conserved"? 
3. Space conservation: What are the priority spaces? How to conserve spaces? 
4. Theimportance of social acceptability and political commitment. Need for biodiversity indicators and to measure the impact of conservation. 

Students also carry out group work in which they present a BC project, based on the questions: why, what, where, how, how much does it cost and how do we know if it's effective? 

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River engineering, River morphology, Hydraulic modelling, Flows, Hydraulic engineering and structures, Flooding, Impacts and compensation
Discipline: Free surface hydraulics

This course provides students with a solid grounding in hydraulic modeling. Students learn the equations of free-surface hydraulics under steady-state and non-stationary conditions. They learn how to make the transition from field study to hydraulic modeling: by taking topographic and hydrometric measurements, observing hydraulic indicators (high-water marks, hydrogeomorphological formations, hydraulic jumps, etc.) and then establishing in situ hypotheses for the functioning of watercourses.
Several scales can be explored, depending on the chosen subject: the habitat scale, that of the developed reach, that of the flooding watercourse. For each scale, students can study and implement specific structures in their modeling (fish ladders, lateral weirs, weirs, dykes, dams, etc.). The impact of these structures is simulated and analyzed in terms of hydrodynamics and hydraulic continuity.
The study is deployed on a single case study, from the field phase through to the modeling and presentation of the impact of developments. Work is carried out in groups.

A field trip enables learners to analyze the terrain and conceptualize it in a topographical and hydraulic model. In situ operating hypotheses are formulated and compared with models and results.

Finally, the EU offers students an analysis based on a real case of development or intervention in a watercourse, with an assessment of the initial state, an analysis of the impacts of the intervention, and proposals for hydraulic compensation where appropriate.

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Sustainable development, ERC sequence, green, blue, turquoise grid.

The aim is to present the regulatory and technical frameworks for integrating the environment into projects, plans and programs. The Avoid, Reduce, Compensate sequence, its challenges and the players involved will be presented, discussed and illustrated. The green and blue webs and their interface with the turquoise web will be analyzed as tools for improving biodiversity preservation in land management and development operations.
Learners will be asked to take a step back from the methods and know-how used to apply the ERC sequence in various fields, linked to plans, developments and programs with an impact on the environment.

A field trip is an opportunity to meet the players and the ERC actions deployed, and to draw up a diagnosis and outlook.

Applications will focus on the "trame turquoise" linking biodiversity law and water law, and on the ERC deployment of the development file.

Last but not least, the EU offers learners a real opportunity to critically analyze their know-how and produce innovative, inclusive solutions.

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Behavioral Ecology takes an evolutionary approach to the study of behavior, investigating its mechanisms, function and contribution to evolutionary and ecological processes. The work carried out in Behavioral Ecology helps us to understand other phenomena observed in other disciplines of life biology, because all animals, from unicellulars to the most complex vertebrae, exhibit behaviors.

The module exposes students to the various basic concepts, as well as to the multitude of tools likely to be used (observations and experiments on natural populations or captive individuals, comparative analyses, use of modeling tools, ecophysiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, on-board electronics, etc.). Part of the training is based on specific discussions of the research approaches likely to be employed, the tools used and the limits of the inferences that can be made. Students will be expected to play an active role at all these levels, in particular through critical discussions of articles.

Topics range from the exploration of strategies for food provisioning, mate choice, habitat selection and investment in reproduction, to the study of animal communication and the reasons for group living. The historical dimension of the discipline is addressed in the introduction, but also according to the sensibilities of the contributors and the themes addressed (meaning and relationships between 'Animal Behaviour', 'Ethology', Behavioral Ecology etc.).

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Gestion du Milieu Aquatique et Prévention des Inondations
Discipline: Ecology, Hydraulics

This teaching unit enables students to immerse themselves in a real case study, in the field, relating to the GEMAPI competence. Stakeholders and managers will be met on the study site to appreciate the challenges and complexity of the territory. Student groups will work on a concrete project to bring together water management and flood prevention in a way that respects ecology, the environment and people. This teaching unit will be an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in previous courses (ecology, hydraulics, legislation, regional planning, etc.).

The study is deployed on the same concrete case, from the field phase through modeling, analysis and concerted management, to the phase of presenting the impact of developments. Work is carried out in groups.

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The aim of this course is to provide legal and governance knowledge on land-use planning, the consideration of biodiversity in environmental law, and the awakening of management to the ontologies of societies' relationships with living organisms. This course is particularly useful for future environmental managers, at both national and local level.

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This UE is based on the same pedagogical project as the "Salon de l'écologie-1" UE: organization and participation in the two events "Festi'Versité" and "Salon National de l'Ecologie" (see "Salon de l'écologie-1" sheet).

The specificity of the "Salon de l'écologie-2" UE lies in the roles and involvement of the students in their mission of assisting the project managers of the 2 events. In this UE, they are involved in positions of responsibility as administrators of one of the partner student associations: president, treasurer, communications manager, logistics manager, eco-responsibility manager, festivities manager, congress manager, forum manager. They will coordinate the highlights of the events, the actions of the various teams and the work of the students and volunteers involved in implementation through the "Salon de l'écologie 1" EU.

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The module covers the identification, quantification and modeling of interactions between climate, marine species and their exploitation.

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The aim of this course is to deepen understanding of key concepts relating to climate change, to illustrate important concepts in ecology and evolution in the light of climate change, in many different ecosystems, and to produce a synthesis of the various scientific and societal questions and issues raised by CC.

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Climate change, global change, outlook, adaptation, resilience, hydrology modelling, future climate simulation, water resource availability, extreme events, impacts on ecosystems, ecological issues

This course provides students with an insight into the climatic, environmental and anthropogenic changes impacting our hydro-eco-socio-systems today and in the future.

The activities focus on a number of non-exhaustive aspects of this vast and constantly evolving field.

In addition to presenting issues, figures and concepts, students learn about hydrological modeling tools that can be used to develop future scenarios for resource development. They analyze a specific subject by combining different disciplines and approaches. They discuss possible adaptations to cope with the impact of change.

The activities consist of 3 parts: The course activity, the modeling activity and the bibliography activity.

- The courses explain the principles of climate modeling, the construction of climate change scenarios and their limitations. The orders of magnitude of the main changes are outlined, as well as the major challenges of sustainable development, climate change and global change. A special focus is placed on French Mediterranean watersheds (climate change hot spots, declining availability of water resources, agricultural practices and adaptations, irrigation, tourism, etc.).

- The concepts of hydrological modeling and calibration in a non-stationary or poorly gauged context are taught, and an introduction to hydrological modeling is given with an application case. Students work with general hydrological models (such as GR, HEC-HMS or WEAP) to evaluate flows and balances, feed them with climate model outputs, generate future flow and balance scenarios, and critique the resulting scenarios. The modeling work carried out in small groups is the subject of an oral presentation.

- Finally, the bibliography compiled in class and completed independently should enable students to specialize around a concrete case study of a change occurring in a compartment of a natural or urbanized hydro-eco-system (chosen by the students). They carry out a bibliographical analysis to identify the societal or environmental issues arising from these changes, as well as the scientific questions inherent in the implementation of impact reduction or adaptation measures. They must identify how their case study is similar to others, but also how it differs from them. Finally, they open their analysis with a more general methodology, applicable to other case studies, for characterizing these changes, their impacts and adaptation measures. Learners write

an operational summary (bibliography, similar case studies, controversies, operational tools, protocols, orders of magnitude). They then pitch their findings to the class.

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The aim of this course is to introduce students to:
1. the workings of the communications departments of different types of organization involved in research and scientific culture or its application (research institutes, local authorities, associations, NGOs, companies, etc.)
2. the methodology for drawing up a communications strategy and plan, as well as a press kit.
Teaching will be based on presentations by communication department managers from various organizations, and on practical sessions enabling students to analyze and design communication strategies and plans, and to write press kits based on real projects submitted by communication department managers.

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