Ecological compensation is failing to meet its objectives. So, we are shifting into experimentation mode.
To ensure "no net loss" of biodiversity, French regulations rely on the ERC sequence: the negative impacts of land development must first be avoided and reduced. If residual impacts remain, they must be compensated through measures that generate equivalent ecological gains.
Bacteria, fungi, plants, mites, worms, mammals... Soils shelter a quarter of all currently known living species on Earth.
Long overlooked, these ecosystems are now receiving increasing attention, particularly due to the essential services they provide to human populations: carbon storage, support for agricultural and food production, erosion and flood prevention, water purification, and contributions to medical research.
A few days ago, we went to talk about biodiversity preservation with professionals in real estate and urban planning.
During a webinar organized by CIBI - International Biodiversity and Real Estate Council, we specifically wanted to show how ecological modeling could be used to address very diverse challenges in project management and site planning.
We thus presented two types of approaches based on SimOïko, our simulation software for species' life.
TerrOïko's study department carries out a wide range of assignments (17 Green and Blue networks , 23 Black Networks, 5 Transport Infrastructures, and 5 Renewable Energy Projects) in collaboration with numerous stakeholders in the field: DarkSkyLab, auddicé, Element5, Egis, setec, EkoAm Environnement, ECO-MED, La TeleScop, Artelia, Biotope, CETIAC, CERESCO, Lumin(escence), OXAO - Ecosystem Regenerators, ON, the Light Design Agency.
Remember: In September, we launched a call for projects to give researchers the opportunity to become early users of SimOïko, our ecological modeling software.
The verdict is in: here are the seven selected projects, both in France and internationally.
BiodivConnect: This consulting firm, founded by Caroline Dequidt-Kebaili, will use SimOïko for a conservation program focused on four butterfly species in the Jura region. The software will complement existing genetic flow models by simulating the movements and demographic dynamics of individuals.
On Wednesday, December 18, our colleague Marie Soret will defend her doctoral thesis at the Maison de la Télédétection in Montpellier.
Her subject?
"Improving the consideration of species, their ecological needs, and the local landscape context in connectivity models for territorial planning."
For several years, at TerrOïko, we have been defending another idea of biodiversity protection and its consideration in urban planning and construction projects.
Our CEO Sylvain Moulherat went to present its main aspects this week during the innovation meetings of the "Lab Public Works and Infrastructure," supported by the National Federation of Public Works and IMPULSE PARTNERS - A FAST LANE FOR INNOVATION.
To make such data scientifically usable for training AI models or conducting statistical analyses they need to be annotated. This means enriching them with additional information, starting with identifying the species.
This was the focus of last week's EcoinfoFAIR conference, an annual event bringing together experts in informatics applied to ecology. Over three days, participants gathered at the CNRS Station for Theoretical and Experimental Ecology in Moulis.
This is a recurring question when discussing ecological modeling: Can we trust digital tools to realistically represent the processes at work in nature?
In other words, are these methods (and the results they produce) reliable enough to inform decisions that support biodiversity?
To help answer this, we recommend reading a recently published article by a team of North American researchers in the journal Ecology and Evolution (link at the end of this post).
We are pleased to announce that we will be participating in the Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering Show, which will take place inside the Salon des Maires et des Collectivités, from November 19 to 21, 2024, at Porte de Versailles in Paris.
Come meet us at Pavilion 3, at the UPGE (Professional Union of Ecological Engineering) stand, location A06.14, to discover our services, innovations, and projects in favor of biodiversity!
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