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π Planet π Science and technology

Biodiversity: understanding nature to preserve it better

6 episodes

1

Agroecology: the path to agricultural biodiversity
2

Environmental DNA: how to track biodiversity “barcodes”
3

Between the buildings: wildlife in the urban landscape
4

Rewilding, a new approach to protecting biodiversity
5

Compiling soundscapes to study global biodiversity
6

The risks of releasing genetically modified animals into the environment

Épisode 1/6

Agroecology: the path to agricultural biodiversity

On October 18th, 2022

3 min reading time

Denis Couvet

President of the Foundation for Research on Biodiversity and Professor at Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle

Key takeaways

Agriculture is the human activity that has the greatest impact on the environment and biodiversity.
Agroecology is a model that considers ecological processes and biodiversity, which could alleviate the problems of traditional agriculture.
Soil degradation has reduced global land area productivity by 23%.
Expecting agriculture to provide energy is cost-effective, but ecologically unsustainable.
We need to ensure that public policies work towards relevant agricultural practices, going beyond the CAP.

Épisode 2/6

Environmental DNA: how to track biodiversity “barcodes”

With Tania Louis, PhD in biology and Columnist at Polytechnique Insights

On January 10th, 2023

5 min reading time

Tania Louis

PhD in biology and Columnist at Polytechnique Insights

Key takeaways

Environmental DNA (eDNA) makes it possible to study the presence of living beings in the environment without endangering species: it is a population monitoring tool.
Analysis of eDNA is based on the use of molecular barcodes to identify a species or category of organisms.
eDNA allows the study of biodiversity, targeted monitoring of certain species, estimation of species numbers and reconstruction of diets.
But DNA does not provide as much information as direct observation and can be moved or degraded.
It is crucial to optimise our study of eDNA to improve our understanding of biodiversity.

Épisode 3/6

Between the buildings: wildlife in the urban landscape

On January 30th, 2024

4 min reading time

Benoit Pisanu

Ecology Researcher at MNHN

Key takeaways

In the city, a wide variety of small mammals live in green spaces, including hedgehogs, field mice and shrews.
Knowing the density and distribution of these species will enable us to carry out behavioural ecology studies into the adaptations associated with living in an urban environment.
Invasive species, brought in and then released into the wild by man, can survive and harm other species.
Despite regulation plans, humans maintain these invasive populations by feeding them, to the detriment of other species that suffer from this cohabitation.

Butterfly on flower, pollination moment, crisp wing patterns

Épisode 4/6

Rewilding, a new approach to protecting biodiversity

On October 16th, 2024

4 min reading time

Clémentine Mutillod

PhD Student at the Mediterranean Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology at Avignon Université

Simon Chollet

Lecturer at Université de Rennes

Key takeaways

The concept of rewilding is an innovation that aims to protect biodiversity by focusing on autonomy of natural processes.
It could also help biodiversity to mitigate the effects of global warming.
The concept raises the ethical question of humanity’s place in our conception of nature.
There are many approaches to rewilding, both passive and active, with or without human intervention.

Épisode 5/6

Compiling soundscapes to study global biodiversity

On November 25th, 2025

4 min reading time

Kevin Darras

INRAE Researcher in Forest Ecosystems (EFNO)

Key takeaways

Passive acoustic monitoring can be used to record animal biodiversity.
Recordings can be used to identify species that emit sounds and to assess the state of a given environment.
The “Worldwide Soundscapes” project aims to bring together global monitoring data to make it easily accessible to research teams.
Initial results from the collation show global heterogeneity, with more data available for the northern hemisphere than the southern hemisphere.
This monitoring could help to better preserve biodiversity by detecting the first signs of change in an environment.

Épisode 6/6

The risks of releasing genetically modified animals into the environment

On May 18th, 2026

4 min reading time

Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo

CNRS Research Director and Associate Professor of Biology at Ecole Polytechnique (IP Paris)

Key takeaways

In October 2025, members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rejected a moratorium aimed at a “precautionary delay in the release of genetically modified wild organisms into natural ecosystems”. The use of gene drives was specifically targeted.
This technique involves propagating a genetic mutation within a wild species to modify or eradicate an entire population.
In New Zealand, for example, research is being conducted to eliminate rats from the island that threaten endemic birds.
Accidental transmission of mutations to other species, and irreversible effects are just some of the risks associated with this method are numerous and difficult to anticipate.
No clear framework currently exists to regulate this practice.

Contributors

Tania Louis

PhD in biology and Columnist at Polytechnique Insights

A graduate from École Normale Supérieure and the Institut Pasteur, Tania Louis has a PhD in biology and has been working in the field of science outreach since 2015. She has published several science popularisation works as an outreach specialist, communicator and video-maker. Self-employed, she designs educational content and offers coaching and training services to experts wishing to address a non-specialist audience.

For more information: tanialouis.fr