Objects of study

The system we are studying is subdivided into three interacting subsystems:

Biodiversity and functions it provides in ecosystems

A particularity of our research unit is to work on different kinds of biodiversity:

• "spontaneous" or uncultivated biodiversity, including flora, arthropods and birds
• "cultivated" biodiversity, focusing on different species such as cereals and vegetables.

Practices of agricultural stakeholders (farmers, extension services, farmers' associations) and land planners (local authorities...)

Here again we look at a diversity of practices (agricultural production, maintenance and management of agricultural fields, hedgerows and urban green space) on a gradient of industrial agriculture to organic farming.

The landscape seen as a mosaic (organized in space and over time) of different landscape elements

We consider both uncultivated (woods, hedges, etc.) and cultivated elements (fields with different land cover). We do our research in agricultural, semi-urban and urban landscapes.