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.
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 often share our research and innovation work with you, but there’s something we haven’t explained.
What connects them all?
To discover one of the common threads of our R&D, join us during the week of November 4th at ADEME's premises in Sophia-Antipolis for the ITTECOP Days (infrastructure, territories, transport, energy, ecosystems, and landscape program).
On October 15 and 16, we were at Meet’Up GreenTech 2024, held at the Parc Floral de Vincennes. This is the annual gathering of innovators dedicated to ecological transition.
Our president, Catherine de Roincé, participated in a roundtable focused on urban biodiversity, centered on the question: "Can local innovations transform our cities into sustainable ecosystems?"
We expected 2024 to be an intense year for us in terms of research. And we were right.
For the fourth time in a year, we are starting a new research project.
Called OptiBioNum, it has been selected by the FEREC Corporate Foundation as part of its annual call for projects.
It aims to provide tools to guide building and infrastructure designers in optimizing the ability of their structures to host biodiversity.