EU CHOICE

The expansion of the urban environment is causing the fragmentation/destruction of natural habitats, conservation problems, and a change in the relationship between humans and nature. However, urban areas can also be home to significant biodiversity in close proximity to humans, which can then be used for conservation, awareness-raising, improving human well-being, and even therapeutic purposes. It is a challenge to work in ecology while denying the existence and consequences of the urban environment and its particularities. The aim of this EU is to help future ecology professionals find compromises between urban development and respect for nature. Through courses taught by various professionals and a field trip to Montpellier, students will discover where (associations, consulting firms, local authorities, etc.), with whom, and how an ecologist can work in urban ecology.

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"The content of this course unit consists of three main parts: 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 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 water connections with the open sea and their catchment areas. Their biogeochemistry will be addressed, in particular to describe carbon and nutrient flows through water and sediment compartments. Several aspects of their biodiversity will be illustrated to describe the importance of these ecosystems as habitats for dependent species, with a particular focus 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 paid to human uses (e.g., aquaculture) and their territorial 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 the management of these environments will present concrete feedback. Finally, the implications of maritime law for the management of coastal areas will be taught. "

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1. Bayesian inference: Motivation and simple example. 

2. The likelihood. 

3. A detour to explore priors. 

4. Markov chain Monte Carlo methods (MCMC)

5. Bayesian analyses in R with the Jags software.  

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

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

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Sustainable development, ERC sequence, green, blue, and turquoise infrastructure.

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 actors involved will be presented, discussed, and illustrated. Green and blue infrastructure and their interface with turquoise infrastructure will be analyzed as tools for improving biodiversity conservation in land management and development operations.
Learners will be asked to take a step back and consider the methods and expertise used to apply this ACR sequence in different areas related to plans, developments, and programs that have an impact on the environment.

A field trip is an opportunity to meet the stakeholders, learn about the ERC actions being implemented, and draw conclusions and perspectives.

The applications will focus on the turquoise framework combining the biodiversity law and the water law dossier, and on the ERC deployment of the development dossier.

Finally, the EU offers learners a truly 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 in order to examine its mechanisms, function, and contribution to evolutionary and ecological processes. Research conducted in behavioral ecology helps us understand other phenomena observed in other disciplines of biology, as all animals, from single-celled organisms to the most complex vertebrates, exhibit behavior.

The module exposes students to various basic concepts and the multitude of tools that can be used (observations and experiments in natural populations or on captive individuals, comparative analyses, use of modeling tools, ecophysiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, embedded electronics, etc.). Part of the training is based on specific discussions about the research approaches that can be used, the tools employed, and the limits of the inferences that can be made. Students will be asked to participate actively at these different levels, particularly through critical discussions of articles.

The topics covered range from exploring food supply strategies, partner 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 according to the sensitivity of the speakers and the topics covered (meaning and relationships between 'Animal Behavior', 'Ethology', Behavioral Ecology, etc.).

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1. "The way in which the modern West represents nature is the least well-shared thing 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 an invention of Europeans that is only one of the possibilities available to societies to account for the living and non-living beings that surround them.

While Philippe Descola contributes to renewing questions about society-environment relations, he nevertheless draws on a long tradition in the humanities and social sciences. Numerous works already explore the various forms of knowledge and social organization to which these relations give rise: ethnoscience, anthropology of technology, economic anthropology, ethnoecology, sociology of science and technology, etc.

This issue is far from being confined to the academic sphere. It also attracts the interest of conservationists (biodiversity, natural resources, etc.) and industry (pharmacology). It also mobilizes so-called "indigenous" populations who are demanding, both locally and internationally, access to resources and the preservation of intangible heritage.

2. Located at the intersection of social sciences and life sciences, these disciplines analyze how human societies use plants, animals, and other components of the environment, but also how their conceptions and representations of their environment(s) guide 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 reconsidered the distinction between so-called "traditional" and "modern" societies in order to better address new contemporary environmental and social transformations.

On the one hand, even the most isolated local communities are affected by events that are decided and take place at different levels (international conventions, economic crises). Their immediate environment is also affected by global phenomena (climate change, erosion of biodiversity, etc.). In turn, their actions can also have international ecological, social, and economic repercussions, for example when these societies organize to bring their demands to international arenas.

On the other hand, modern societies' relationship with their environment is being reconfigured in light of the fact that our planet is becoming increasingly "artificialized" and threatened by serious disruptions and crises. The place of fauna and flora is being reconsidered and is the subject of controversy regarding their rights. Furthermore, the dawn of a new geological era, the Anthropocene, is being invoked to challenge both the natural sciences and the humanities and social sciences on the need to take a different approach to the shared history of the environment and societies.

3. The work of scientists and engineers is being viewed in a new light. In this regard, a new scientific project in the humanities and social sciences aims to reconsider 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 for analyzing global processes.

These recent changes in scale invite researchers in the humanities and social sciences to (re)consider their approach through a reflexive lens: they are no longer mere observers, but can also be active participants in processes, even when they are not directly involved in a social movement.

4. The objective of this module is to introduce these different scientific and operational fields. It aims to provide students with reference points and food for thought, enabling them to develop scientific questions on the relationship between society and the environment, with a view to reflecting on how to address current environmental and social issues. The varied geographical and disciplinary experiences of the speakers will illustrate the approach through a wide range of ecosystem types, sociocultural contexts, and themes. In the time available, we do not claim to cover all themes, approaches, and methods exhaustively. Any student wishing to study this field in greater depth will need to undertake more in-depth training.

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

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The objectives of this EU are to explore key concepts related to climate change, illustrate important notions in ecology and evolution in light of climate change in many different ecosystems, and summarize the various scientific and societal issues and challenges posed by CC.

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Climate change, global changes, forecasts, adaptation, resilience, hydrological modeling, future climate simulation, water resource availability, extreme events, impacts on ecosystems, ecological issues

This course unit offers students an introduction to the climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic changes that are impacting our hydro-eco-socio-systems today and will continue to do so in the future.

The activities focus on certain aspects, which are not exhaustive, of this vast field, where knowledge is constantly evolving.

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

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

- The courses cover 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 particular focus is placed on French Mediterranean watersheds (climate change hot spots, declining water availability, agricultural practices and adaptations, irrigation, tourism, etc.).

- The concepts of hydrological modeling and calibration in non-stationary or poorly gauged contexts are taught, and an introduction to hydrological modeling is provided with a practical application. 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 then critique the scenarios thus constructed. 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 in a specific case study of a change affecting a compartment of a natural or urbanized hydro-ecosystem (chosen by the students). They carry out a bibliographic analysis to highlight the societal or environmental issues arising from these changes, as well as the scientific questions inherent in the implementation of measures to reduce their impact or adapt to them. They must identify how their case study is similar to other cases, but also how it differs from them. Finally, they broaden their analysis to a more general methodology that can be applied to other case studies characterizing these changes, their impacts, and adaptation measures. Learners write

a summary note for operational purposes (bibliography, similar case studies, controversies, operational tools, protocols, orders of magnitude). They then pitch their results to the class.

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