Living with Nature in the City: What Research Has to Offer
This event has already taken place!
As part of theAdNatura Ecology Fair (February 4–7, 2026, Montpellier), SFE2, in partnership with the Défi Clé BiodivOc, is offering a series of scientific presentations titled:
“Living with Nature in the City: What Research Has to Offer”
This session uses a few examples to illustrate how research examines the interactions between humans and non-human living beings in urban settings. Three researchers will use their work to demonstrate how the design of our cities affects biodiversity, and the ways in which we can promote biodiversity in urban areas.
Program:
- 11:00 a.m.–11:25 a.m. – Louise Eydoux (CEFE, Montpellier): “The Effects of Soil De-impermeabilization on Soil Biodiversity”
- 11:25–11:50 a.m. Benoit Pujol (CRIOBE, Perpignan): “Weeds to the Rescue”
- 11:50 a.m.–12:15 p.m. – Simon Lacombe (CEFE, Montpellier): “The European Otter Is Back in France: Pressures and Its Presence in Urban Areas.”
- 12:15–12:30 p.m. – General discussion
Abstracts of the presentations:
Louise Eydoux:The Effects of De-sealing on Soil Biodiversity
Soil de-sealing is now emerging as a solution to growing urbanization and widespread soil sealing. However, this practice is relatively new, and its effects on urban soil biodiversity remain poorly documented.
Therefore, we sought to understand the impact of de-sealing—particularly in schoolyards—on soil biodiversity by focusing on three groups with major ecological roles and varied dispersal capabilities: microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), earthworms, and ants.
Benoit Pujol: “Weeds to the Rescue”
The renaturation of urban spaces offers a nature-based solution for adapting to the extreme heat caused by climate change. In Occitanie, the number of days when temperatures exceed 30°C has doubled since 1950. Given the constraints of feasibility and sustainability, we propose focusing on native vegetation: “weeds.” We will experimentally compare the adaptive capacity of these naturally occurring plants with that of highly sought-after local plants (Mediterranean plants grown through horticulture). We are implementing a science-society initiative in the city of Carcassonne to bring together basic and applied sciences, conducted with and for society.
Simon Lacombe: “The European Otter Is Back in France: Pressure and Presence in Urban Areas.”
Over the past few decades, the European otter (Lutra lutra) has made a spectacular comeback in France. It now inhabits nearly two-thirds of the country, including heavily human-altered landscapes, and is present in the immediate vicinity of many major cities. In this presentation, we will examine how the species uses urban and suburban environments, and what pressures these environments place on its survival. We will focus on two case studies: a monitoring study of otter presence in and around the Montpellier metropolitan area, and an analysis of the risks of road collisions in Brittany.
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