UNDESIRED
UNDESIRED: What challenges do invasive species pose for the planning and implementation of Nature-based Solutions projects?
Scientific supervisor: Claire VALIENTE MORO
Host institution: University Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Context
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are now the preferred approach to addressing environmental, climate, and social challenges in urban areas. By incorporating green elements (parks, urban forests, community gardens, street trees with enlarged plant pits and infiltration swales, etc.), green cities provide numerous ecosystem services. However, these developments can also unintentionally create conditions conducive to the proliferation of unwanted species such as mosquitoes, rats, mice, or invasive ants. Perceived as nuisances or threats to health, biodiversity, or ecosystem functioning, these organisms can provoke social and political resistance that may hinder the implementation of NbS.
The project
Drawing on an interdisciplinary approach that integrates urban ecology, social sciences, genetics, geomatics, and discourse analysis, UNDESIRED aims to study the ecological trade-offs associated with urban NbS. More specifically, the main objectives are to (i) identify factors within NbS that promote the presence or proliferation of undesirable species, (ii) analyze the direct and indirect impacts of undesirable species on biodiversity, and (iii) study their influence on urban planning decisions and on public authorities’ perception of NbS.
The project combines ecological and socio-political observations to better understand the role of invasive species in the city. Biological surveys will be conducted primarily in the Lyon metropolitan area, with comparative studies in Montpellier, using standardized protocols (trapping, environmental DNA, acoustic recordings and cameras, genetic analysis, and soil and vegetation analysis). In parallel, an analysis of digital discourse and interviews with institutional stakeholders in Lyon, Montpellier, and Marseille will help to understand social representations of these species and local nature policies. Spatial analysis will link these ecological and socio-political dimensions, notably through an interactive data visualization application designed to support interdisciplinary discussion and exchange with operational stakeholders.
Structured around three research areas (species occurrence, ecological impacts, and governance), UNDESIRED aims to support the development of more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable NbS by anticipating conflicts and promoting coexistence with unwanted urban species.