CHOICE 3

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The expansion of the urban environment leads to the fragmentation and destruction of natural habitats, conservation challenges, and a shift in the relationship between humans and nature. However, urban areas can also harbor significant biodiversity in close proximity to humans, which can then be utilized for conservation, public awareness, improving human well-being, and even therapeutic purposes. It is a challenge to work in ecology while ignoring the existence and consequences of the urban environment and its unique characteristics. The goal of this course unit is to help future ecology professionals find compromises between urban development and respect for nature. Through lectures delivered by a variety of professionals and a field trip to Montpellier, students will discover where (nonprofits, consulting firms, local governments, etc.), with whom, and how an ecologist can work in the field of urban ecology.

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"This course unit consists of three main sections: I—Physical Characterization and Biogeochemical Cycles of Coastal Marine Ecosystems; II—Biodiversity and Functioning of Coastal Marine Ecosystems; III—Coastal and Maritime Law; Uses, Conflicts, and Integrated Management of the Coastal Zone. This course unit 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 particular emphasis on water interactions with the open sea and their watersheds. Their biogeochemistry will be examined, notably to describe carbon and nutrient fluxes through the water and sediment compartments. Various aspects of their biodiversity will be illustrated to highlight the importance of these ecosystems as habitats for dependent species, with particular emphasis on the role of this biodiversity in their functioning. The coastal zone is densely populated by humans (40% of the world’s population). Particular attention will be given to human uses (e.g., aquaculture) and their spatial planning, including the assessment of their ecosystem services in an economic context, management and protection measures (e.g., Marine Protected Areas, Natura 2000), and professionals involved in managing these environments will share concrete experiences. Finally, the implications of the law of the sea for the management of the littoral and coastal zones will be covered."

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1. Bayesian inference: Motivation and a simple example. 

2. The likelihood. 

3. A detour to explore priors. 

4. Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods

5. Bayesian analyses in R using the Jags software.  

6. Compare scientific hypotheses using model selection (WAIC).

7. Heterogeneity and multilevel models (also known as mixed models). 

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Sustainable development, ERC unit, green, blue, and turquoise corridors.

The aim is to present the regulatory and technical frameworks for integrating environmental considerations into projects, plans, and programs. The “Avoid, Reduce, Offset” approach—including its challenges and the stakeholders involved—will be presented, discussed, and illustrated. The green and blue infrastructure networks and their interface with the turquoise infrastructure network will be analyzed as tools for improving biodiversity conservation in land management and planning operations.
Learners will be expected to take a step back and critically evaluate the methods and expertise used to apply this ERC sequence in various fields related to plans, developments, and programs that have an impact on the environment.

A field visit provides an opportunity to meet with stakeholders, learn about the ERC initiatives being implemented, and draw conclusions and identify future directions.

The applications will focus on the turquoise framework linking the Biodiversity Act and the Water Act dossier, as well as on the ERC implementation of the land-use planning dossier.

The EU finally offers learners a genuine critical analysis of skills and the development of innovative and inclusive solutions.

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Behavioral ecology approaches the study of behavior from an evolutionary perspective to examine its mechanisms, function, and the role behavior plays in evolutionary and ecological processes. Research in behavioral ecology helps us understand other phenomena observed in other disciplines of biology, since all animals—from single-celled organisms to the most complex vertebrates—exhibit behavior.

The module exposes students to various basic concepts, as well as the wide range of tools that may be used (observations and experiments in natural populations or on captive individuals, comparative analyses, the use of modeling tools, ecophysiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, embedded electronics, etc.). Part of the course focuses on specific discussions of potential research approaches, the tools used, and the limitations of the inferences that can be drawn. Students will be expected to participate actively at these various levels, particularly through critical discussions of research articles.

The topics covered range from the exploration of food-foraging strategies, mate selection, habitat choice, and investment in reproduction to the study of animal communication and the reasons for living in groups. The historical dimension of the discipline is addressed in the introduction, but also depending on the instructors’ perspectives and the specific topics covered (the meanings and relationships between “Animal Behavior,” “Ethology,” “Behavioral Ecology,” etc.).

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1. “The way the modern West conceives of nature is the least widely shared view in the world” (Descola, 2005, p. 56). According to anthropologist Philippe Descola, the category of “Nature,” as a reality separate from the human world, is a European invention that is merely one of the possibilities available to societies for accounting for the living and non-living beings that surround them.

While Philippe Descola helps to revitalize the discussion of the relationship between society and the environment, he nevertheless draws on a long tradition in the humanities and social sciences. Numerous studies have already explored the various forms of knowledge and social organization that arise from this relationship: ethnoscience, the anthropology of technology, economic anthropology, ethnoecology, the sociology of science and technology, and so on.

This issue is by no means confined to the academic sphere. It also attracts the interest of stakeholders in conservation (biodiversity, natural resources, etc.) and industry (pharmacology). It also mobilizes so-called “indigenous” peoples, who are advocating—both locally and internationally—for access to resources and the preservation of their intangible cultural heritage.

2. Situated at the intersection of the social sciences and the life sciences, these disciplines analyze how human societies use plants, animals, and other components of the environment, as well as how their conceptions and representations of their environment(s) shape these uses. This research also explores how human societies organize themselves, perpetuate themselves, change to adapt to new contexts (globalization, global changes), and transmit knowledge about their relationships with nature.

For a long time, these disciplines focused more specifically on the interrelationships between so-called “traditional” societies and their immediate environment. Subsequently, beginning in the 1970s, researchers reevaluated the distinction between so-called “traditional” and “modern” societies in order to better address new contemporary environmental and social transformations.

Indeed, on the one hand, local communities—even the most isolated ones—are affected by events that are decided and unfold at various levels (international agreements, economic crises). Their immediate environment is also affected by global phenomena (climate change, loss of biodiversity, etc.). Conversely, their actions can also have international ecological, social, and economic repercussions, for example, when these communities organize to voice their demands in international forums.

Furthermore, the relationship that modern societies have with their environment is being reshaped in light of the reality of an increasingly “artificialized” planet threatened by serious disruptions and crises. The role of flora and fauna is being reevaluated, and their rights are the subject of controversy. Furthermore, the onset of a new geological era—the Anthropocene—is cited to challenge both the natural sciences and the humanities and social sciences to reconsider how we view the shared history of the environment and societies.

3. The very work of scientists and engineers is being viewed in a new light. In this regard, a new research project in the humanities and social sciences aims to reexamine the role of “non-humans” and calls for the development of analytical categories other than those of Nature and Culture. New scales and methods of investigation are also being considered to analyze global processes.

These recent shifts in scale prompt researchers in the humanities and social sciences to (re)examine their methodology through a reflective approach: they are no longer mere observers, but can also be active participants in these processes—even when they are not directly involved in a social movement.

4. The objective of this module is to introduce these various scientific and operational fields. It aims to provide students with points of reference and food for thought so that they can formulate scientific questions about the relationship between society and the environment, with a view to reflecting on how to address current environmental and social challenges. The instructors’ diverse geographical and disciplinary backgrounds will help illustrate this approach through a wide range of ecosystem types, sociocultural contexts, and themes. Given the time constraints, we do not intend to provide an exhaustive coverage of all topics, approaches, and methods. Any student wishing to delve deeper into this field should pursue more in-depth training.

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This module covers topics related to identifying, quantifying, and modeling the interactions between climate, marine species, and their exploitation.

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The objectives of this learning unit are to explore key concepts related to climate change, to illustrate important concepts in ecology and evolution in the context of climate change across a wide range of ecosystems, and to synthesize the various scientific and societal issues and challenges posed by climate change.

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Climate Change, Global Changes, Future Projections, Adaptation, Resilience, Hydrological Modeling, Future Climate Simulation, Water Availability, Extreme Events, Impacts on Ecosystems, Ecological Issues

This course introduces students to the climate, environmental, and anthropogenic changes that are affecting—and will continue to affect—our hydro-eco-socio-systems today and in the future.

The activities focus on certain—though not exhaustive—aspects of this vast field, in which knowledge is constantly evolving.

Beyond simply presenting the issues, figures, and concepts, students learn to use hydrological modeling tools to develop future scenarios for resource trends. They analyze a specific topic by integrating various disciplines and approaches. They discuss possible adaptations to address the impacts of change.

The activities consist of three parts: coursework, modeling, and bibliography.

- The course covers the principles of climate modeling, the development of climate change scenarios, and their limitations. The orders of magnitude of the major changes are outlined, along with the key challenges of sustainable development, climate change, and global changes. Special attention is given to France’s Mediterranean watersheds (a climate change hotspot, declining water availability, agricultural practices and adaptations, irrigation, tourism, etc.).

- The course covers the concepts of hydrological modeling and calibration in non-stationary or sparsely gauged contexts and provides an introduction to hydrological modeling through a practical application. Students work with general hydrological models (such as GR, HEC-HMS, or WEAP) to estimate flows and water balances, input data from climate models, generate future flow and water balance scenarios, and critically evaluate the resulting scenarios. The modeling work, conducted in small groups, is presented orally.

- Finally, the bibliography compiled in class and supplemented independently should enable students to specialize in a specific case study of a change occurring in a compartment of a natural or urbanized hydro-ecosystem (of the students’ choosing). They conduct a literature review to identify the societal or environmental issues arising from these changes, as well as the scientific questions inherent in implementing measures to reduce their impacts or to adapt to them. They must identify how their case study is similar to other cases, but also how it differs from them. Finally, they extend their analysis to a more general methodology that can be applied to other case studies characterizing these changes, their impacts, and adaptation measures. The students write

a concise, practical summary (bibliography, similar case studies, controversies, practical tools, protocols, orders of magnitude). They then present their findings to the class.

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