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Enfrichement et reconfigurations des vergers de l’agglomération parisienne : enjeux agricoles, paysagers et socio-écologiques

Lucie Morel and Fabien Roussel
Since the 1970s, orchards in the Greater Paris area have suffered significant agricultural decline. The future of privately-owned plots of orchard land that have been abandoned following the departure of fruit growers raises issues relating to planning, landscapes and the environment, as well as food sovereignty. The aim of this study is to discuss these changes, as well as the reallocation of abandoned agricultural plots. What are the landscape dynamics of land abandonment? Who manages these transitional areas and how? What representations, uses and re-appropriations are involved? In 2021, a survey was conducted two municipalities in the département of Val-d'Oise, Groslay and Saint-Brice-Sous-Forêt. By combining a diachronic study of changes in the occupation of orchards, interviews with stakeholders and a biogeographical field survey, the study shows that abandoned orchards have followed contrasting trajectories in terms of use, landscape and flora. Some plots have been ecologically promoted by local councils. Others have been given a heritage status and others have been reclaimed informally. Although some municipalities have chosen to highlight them in terms of biodiversity, the plant communities identified show a greater diversity of flora in the plots under fruit tree managemen t. The narrative around biodiversity in fallow lands actually conceals a desire to eliminate informal practices and even stigmatized populations. At the same time, the reappropriation of these areas by local residents raises questions about the tools developed at regional level to integrate arboriculture into the urban environment, as well as the landscape, ecological and food role played by fruit growers in the vicinity of built-up areas.

Du diagnostic territorial à l’intention stratégique. Courtage de connaissances et coconstruction. Retour de terrains en pays karstique – les poljés du Canton 10 (Bosnie et Herzégovine)

Orianne Crouteix, François Lerin and Jérémy Vendé
This article defends the idea that with a territorial diagnosis, using an inductive and comprehensive approach, it is possible to develop an integrated and systemic approach, and to extract themselves from the thematic logics that constrain environmental action. Our diagnosis of the karstic area of Canton 10 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, combines three analytical frameworks from management science and geography: strategic analysis of environmental management, agrarian diagnosis and landscape approaches. We assume an environmental intentionality on and for the territory. Through our methodological tinkering and iterative work, we are emphasising (i) the importance and rarity of a unique hydro-geomorphological system, (ii) the need to involve agricultural stakeholders and understand the dynamics associated with the livestock system. Indeed, our diagnosis highlights crucial territorial dynamics that are often overlooked by top-down environmental projects, such as the presence of extensive pastoralism, significant disparities in habitat linked to the demographic, political and historical issues of the territory, and the development of so-called green energies. Paradoxically, and in contrast to the environmental conservation projects established in this area, carried out by international foundation which focus on a single polje (a large flat-bottomed karst depression) with national recognition, we suggest that action be taken at the cantonal level with international recognition. We then discuss the importance and limitations of these methodological tinkering, knowledge brokering, and this embedded approach.

From territorial diagnosis to strategic intent. Knowledge brokerage and co-construction. Fieldwork Insights from Karst Landscapes – the poljes of Canton 10 (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Cartographie de la susceptibilité d’inondation, basée sur l’Analyse Hiérarchique des Procédés (AHP) dans les départements de Pikine et de Keur Massar, Sénégal

Bocar Sy, Malick Mbow and Saliou Aw
Rapid and unplanned urban expansion in low-lying zones of Pikine and Keur Massar has significantly increased flood susceptibility and exposure. In response, flood susceptibility mapping is a strategic tool for urban planning and risk reduction. This study aims to produce a flood susceptibility map for the departments of Pikine and Keur Massar in Senegal, by combining Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) . Six triggering factors were integrated: rainfall, elevation, slope, drainage density, soil type, and land use. Weighting of the criteria was based on the Saaty method, and the final map was generated through weighted overlay analysis. Landsat-8 and SRTM satellite data, processed via Google Earth Engine, were used to map flooded areas over the period 2015–2024, divided into three sub-periods. The Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) was used to detect flood, while the NDVI helped reduce false detections due to vegetation. The flood frequency map served to validate the AHP-based susceptibility results. Findings show that 56.60% of the study area’s surface exhibits high and very high susceptibility. By overlaying this data with infrastructure layers, the study reveals that 67.46% of buildings and more than half of the road and railway networks are highly flood-prone. This exposure is largely due to unplanned urban expansion into former water retention basins. The results underscore the urgent need for integrated and resilient spatial planning strategies to mitigate the growing flood risks in these densely urbanized areas. The approach provides a replicable framework for flood risk assessment and infrastructure vulnerability analysis in similar contexts.

Biosurveillance de la qualité des eaux de surface en Afrique : niveaux de contamination en polluants chimiques dont les composés pharmaceutiques émergents et les métaux lourds et utilisation de biomarqueurs, une revue de littérature

Afoussatou Amadou, Nelly Kelome and Victorien Tamègnon Dougnon
Chemical pollution of surface waters represents a major challenge in Africa, particularly in urban and industrialized areas. The use of biomarkers to monitor this pollution has emerged as an effective approach to assess water quality and its impacts on aquatic ecosystems. This literature review aims to enhance knowledge on the application of biomarkers in monitoring chemical pollutants, particularly emerging pharmaceutical compounds (EPCs) and heavy metals, in Africa. A review of 80 scientific articles published between 2010 and 2025 was conducted. The results show that biomarkers can detect the effects of chemical pollutants on aquatic organisms. An increase in enzymatic activity was observed in fish exposed to contaminants, reflecting a biological response to chemical stress. Moreover, oxidative stress biomarkers proved particularly useful in assessing pollution impact by measuring free radicals and antioxidants in fish tissues. Integrating biomarkers into chemical pollution monitoring in Africa provides a powerful tool for evaluating water quality and the consequences of human activities on aquatic ecosystems. These findings offer a solid foundation for guiding future research and strengthening water quality management policies at the continental level.

Biomonitoring of surface water quality in Africa: Contamination levels by chemical pollutants, including emerging pharmaceutical compounds and heavy metals, and the use of biomarkers – a literature review

Afoussatou Amadou, Nelly Kelome and Victorien Tamègnon Dougnon
Chemical pollution of surface waters represents a major challenge in Africa, particularly in urban and industrialized areas. The use of biomarkers to monitor this pollution appears to be an effective approach for assessing water quality and its impacts on aquatic ecosystems. This literature review aims to enhance knowledge on the application of biomarkers in monitoring chemical pollutants, particularly emerging pharmaceutical compounds (EPCs) and heavy metals in Africa. An analysis of 50 scientific articles published between 2010 and 2025 was conducted. The results show that biomarkers can detect the effects of chemical pollutants on aquatic organisms. An increase in enzymatic activity was observed in fish exposed to contaminants, reflecting a biological response to chemical stress. Furthermore, oxidative stress biomarkers prove particularly useful for assessing the impact of pollution by measuring free radicals and antioxidants in fish tissues. The integration of biomarkers into chemical pollution monitoring in Africa is a powerful tool for assessing water quality and the impact of human activities on aquatic ecosystems. This data provides a solid foundation for guiding future research and strengthening water quality management policies at the continental level.

La pêche ghanéenne ou artisanale dans l’aire marine protégée de Douala-Edéa : ressources exploitées, pratiques et organisations spatiales

Audry Constant Mbock Nemba, Gaël Moutongo, Gordon Nwutih Ajonina, Guy-Serge Bignoumba and Gilbert David
Paper highlights the practices and spatial organizations of artisanal fishers in Douala-Edea National Park in Cameroon. Through an interdisciplinary method integrating a fishery approach and sociogeography approach, the results showed that there are similarities in practices between Ghanaian fishers known as semi-industrial fishers and Nigerian artisanal fishers. These analogies are confirmed both in terms of species captured, and technologies used. As a result, Ghanaian or awasha fishing would not be semi-industrial but an artisanal fishery in the marine environment. This work would like to question Cameroonian public authorities on the need to rethink maritime artisanal fisheries which varied typologies such as Nigerian artisanal fisheries, Cameroonian small-scale fishery, Ghanaian small-scale fishery or awasha fishery. In addition, the advent of Marine Protected Areas and Other Effective Conservation Measures as fisheries governance tools represents an essential framework for expanding research on maritime artisanal fisheries in Cameroon.

L’inégal état des lieux. Ce que la mondialisation fait à la ville portuaire de Colón au Panama

Manuel Sahuquet, Iwan Le Berre, Antoine Frémont, Clément Iphar and Éric Foulquier
Colón is a port city located at the northern entrance of the Panama Canal. Its history is deeply intertwined with trans-isthmian trade, and its strategic position has fostered the growth of some of the most intensive port, commercial, and maritime activities in the Americas, at the heart of globalization. However, these activities come with consequences. They generate environmental externalities that seem to primarily impact disadvantaged, predominantly Afro-Panamanian communities, living in the Casco Viejo area. In a context of incomplete environmental data, this article highlights how maritime transport activities can act as drivers of environmental inequalities. It adopts an exploratory methodology, combining both qualitative and quantitative data, combining a sensory landscape analysis, semi-structured interviews conducted with local stakeholders, a review of the local press and scientific literature, the spatialization of socio-economic data from national censuses, and the mapping of maritime and port activities that generate risks and pollution . This reflection on the state of globalization is grounded in observational data on everyday spaces.

Répercussions sociales et environnementales de l’exploitation minière artisanale et à petite échelle en Afrique : revue narrative de la littérature francophone (2020-2025)

Merano Habonimana and Jean-François Rousseau
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) provides livelihoods for more than 25 million people in Africa, yet the line between its role as a safety net or a driver of vulnerability remains blurry. Drawing on a corpus of 50 francophone articles published between 2020 and 2025 analysed through a two-stage thematic coding strategy, this narrative review examines five domains (social impacts, environmental impacts, security and conflict, legal frameworks, and local governance) and brings to light the corpus’s gold bias, the centrality of paralegal and parastatal governance, and recurrent blind spots (life trajectories and profiles, mental health, under-studied regions). Findings reveal a fundamental duality. On the one hand, ASM bolsters rural economies, cushions price shocks, and occasionally finances agriculture. On the other hand, it exposes miners to frequent accidents, perpetuates gender hierarchies, relies on child labour, and fuels land or security tensions, especially in the Sahel region. Mercury use in gold extraction contaminates rivers. Sand dredging increases water turbidity and impoverishes benthic fauna. Deforestation, soil erosion and habitat fragmentation intensify these environmental pressures. Regulatory mechanisms struggle to keep pace: costly registration procedures, overlaps between customary and statutory law, endemic corruption, and interference by armed actors hamper effective formalisation. Rather than exclusively repressive or fiscal approaches, the review calls for plural policy frameworks co-designed with mining communities and attuned to the paralegal and parastatal governance arrangements already in place. Approaching and analysing ASM as a complex social space, rather than an anomaly to be eliminated, is a prerequisite for any credible sustainability agenda.

Les aléas de la mobilité durable : que nous apprennent les controverses sur les projets de tramway et troisième lien à Québec ?

Emiliano Scanu
Despite broad consensus on the need to transform urban transport systems to adapt them to environmental and climate challenges, policies and projects for sustainable mobility often face resistance from stakeholders who see them as a threat to established interests, habits and values, or even as a “war on cars”. Controversies over sustainable mobility often follow a polarizing dynamic, with advocates of active and collective transport on one side and supporters of ‘automobility’ on the other. This article examines this phenomenon of polarization through an analysis of the case of Quebec City, where, for more than a decade, there has been marked opposition between a tramway project, which aims to increase the modal share of public transport, and the « troisième lien » (“third link”), a motorway project aimed at improving car traffic. Through the prism of public controversy, this analysis identifies the main tensions that characterize these two projects and traces their evolution over the period 2009-2025 in terms of the planning process and the public debate. Beyond elucidating the tensions that characterize the controversies surrounding these two projects, this study aims to shed light on the uncertainties and hazards affecting public action for sustainable transport at a time of ecological and climate emergencies.

Quelle acceptabilité de la méthanisation agricole ? Un point de littérature comparée France/Europe en sciences sociales

Aude Dziebowski and Philippe Hamman
Based on a social sciences literature review on the acceptability of on-farm anaerobic digestion projects, this paper offers an analysis of the French situation in a European context. Anaerobic digestion, an agricultural waste reuse technology, has been raising debates due to its impact on agroecosystems and rural areas. Our analysis is based on a systematic selection among the French- and English- language literature from 16 databases, resulting in a corpus of 37 articles. What emerges first from analysis is the very concrete interrelation between three dimensions of acceptability: (i) social acceptability – analysis of which cannot be limited to the Nimby paradigm; (ii) local acceptability – involving at the same time spatial factors, issues pertaining to local governance and justice; and (iii) professional acceptability – internal restructuring processes within the agricultural world, with a new implicit hierarchy of farmer profiles. Secondly, debates over energy crops and competing land-uses appear to be major issues, and distinctive ones compared to other acceptability issues that have been raised by different energy renewable projects.

Tourisme, mutations foncières et dynamiques territoriales sur le littoral d’Amborovy, Mahajanga, Madagascar

Lucien Ramiandrisoa, Josélyne Ramamonjisoa, Andrianina Rakotoson and Njatonandrasana Vololoniaina
The Amborovy coastline, located in Mahajanga (northwest coast of Madagascar), is undergoing rapid land tenure transformations driven by the growth of tourism. The surge in infrastructure development since 2000 has triggered intense competition for land, amounting to a veritable rush to the coast. This pressure, coupled with aggressive real estate speculation, has intensified conflicts between the tompon-tany (local communities) and investors, while simultaneously undermining coastal ecosystems. This analysis, grounded in legal pluralism and multiscalar governance theories, assesses the effectiveness of the 2005 Malagasy land tenure reform, particularly the Untitled Private Property (PPNT) instrument, in the face of this land rush. A mixed-methods approach combines diachronic and cartographic analyses (GIS) with fieldwork conducted between 2023 and 2024, documenting changes in built environments since the 1980s. The results indicate that, despite the innovative nature of the PPNT, there has been an accelerated conversion of natural and agricultural areas into tourist complexes, often controlled by foreign investors since 2010. In this northwestern region, reforms have failed to halt the marginalization of local populations and environmental degradation. In conclusion, preventing territorial fragmentation in Mahajanga requires the urgent establishment of adaptive governance. This must integrate the institutionalization of local customary rights and regulate land markets to counter speculation. Such normative hybridization is imperative to prevent this territory from becoming an experimental epicenter of socio-spatial fragmentation.

Quelles controverses pour le renouveau minier européen ? Une proposition d’adaptation de l’indice de risque social au contexte d’Europe de l’Ouest

Justin Missaghieh--Poncet and Marie Forget
The resurgence of mining in France raises controversies related to the social acceptability of projects. While mining, largely abandoned since the 1960 s, is being reconsidered to meet the demands of the energy and industrial transition, projects such as the lithium mine in Echassières (Allier) face significant opposition. These controversies highlight tensions between economic, environmental, and social imperatives. To better understand and manage these dynamics, a tool, the “Mining Controversy Dashboard” (TCM), has been developed based on the Canadian Social Risk Index (IRS) (Bergeron et al ., 2015). This tool, adapted to the European context, provides a structured approach to analyse and visualize stakeholder perceptions. It comprises two components: a controversy matrix, derived from surveys sent to stakeholders (evaluating economic, environmental, and consultation dimensions), and a territorial profile, offering a detailed contextual analysis based on statistical and historical data. The TCM aims to identify sensitive aspects of projects, facilitate dialogue, and inform public debates. However, some limitations remain: low survey participation, restricted access to data, and a simplified representation of local realities. Tested on two projects in France, this tool demonstrates its usefulness in structuring debates, while requiring further development to expand its applicability. The TCM positions itself as a dialogue facilitator, enabling the co-construction or consensual abandonment of contentious mining projects.

L’acceptabilité sociale des passages à hérisson dans les jardins privés de l’agglomération de Caen (France)

Iris Narbonne, Charlotte Tamisier, Johanna Batardy, Clémence Bories, Pauline Calvier, Antonin Fabre, Lucille Force, Alice Forget, Gary Gomis, Eryne Guenet, Laura Karam, Titouan Lino, Raphaël Lopez, Leonor de Miguel Ozanne, Etienne Valognes, Céline Clauzel, Delphine Grancher and Mathilde Riboulot
Changes in land use, including urbanization, are one of the main causes of biodiversity decline, due to the loss and fragmentation of natural environments. Initiatives exist, including in cities, to restore corridors and facilitate wildlife movement. For example, hedgehog crossings are installed to connect private or public green spaces and thus facilitate the movement of this endangered species. Through a questionnaire survey carried out in the agglomeration of Caen (France), our study aims to identify the factors influencing the social acceptability of the installation of a hedgehog crossing in private gardens. Our results show that residents are more likely to accept the creation of a hedgehog crossing when they have a degree above the bachelor’s level, when they develop their gardens in favour of biodiversity, and when they give the hedgehog a positive appreciation and a useful role for their gardens. The article also highlights obstacles to the creation of hedgehog crossings, especially for residents who consider the animal to be already in their garden or who are reluctant to break through their walls. These results thus provide valuable insights on the factors to be considered in awareness campaigns promoting urban biodiversity and offer guidance to local decisionmakers and actors on potential obstacles and levers when implementing measures favourable to urban biodiversity.