Reconciling the economic activity of societies with the dynamics of natural resources and ecosystems in a sustainable manner is a major challenge of the 21st century, particularly in the face of global changes including climate change and demographic growth. Faced with these major challenges linked to the ecological transition, the “Economics of Socio-EcoSystems” (ES2) programme aims to provide scientific and systemic insights to decision-makers and public policies via concepts, models, indicators and scenarios. It is based on the integrative notion of socio-ecosystems (SES, Social-Ecological-Systems) developed by Elinor Ostrom. It uses quantitative and/or qualitative approaches and methods from ecological economics, bioeconomics, natural resource economics and environmental economics. It is thus part of an interdisciplinary perspective participating in the sciences of sustainability, resilience and complexity.
ES2 seeks to articulate theory and applications. The applications range from agro-ecosystems, in particular vineyards and forests, to fisheries and the management of water resources, wetlands and coastlines. It relies on international, national and regional networks, particularly through research projects and an ambitious transfer and valorisation strategy. At the regional level, it relies on the numerous regional initiatives led by the USC INRAE, the ACCIMATERRA and ECOBIOSE initiatives for climate and biodiversity through the research networks that have been set up (Futures Acts, Naïades, Rivages, Biosena, Sylvana, Tesla, etc.)
Axis 1 – Dynamics of ecosystems, biodiversity and the bioeconomy.
This first axis focuses on the operationalisation of the ecosystem approach for the management of SES. The ecosystem approach aims to take into account and integrate the different ecological-economic and bio-economic complexities at stake in the management of ecosystems, biodiversity, ecosystem services and renewable resources. These complexities include, at the ecological level, multi-species dimensions and interactions between species or taxa (e.g. trophic) or competitions for habitat and resources. Anthropogenic and economic complexities include joint production (one fleet catches several species) and multi-actor pressures (e.g. multi-fleet for fishing or different land uses such as agriculture or forestry). Another line of complexity refers to the multi-functionality (economic, ecological, social) of activities in relation to the diversity of ecosystem services provided by natural resources: provisioning services (food, energy), recreational and cultural services, regulatory services (water quality, carbon sequestration, human health, etc.).
The links between biodiversity and human health are particularly studied in this ecosystem perspective. Another challenge is to take into account global changes, particularly climate and population growth. The design and calibration of ecosystem models based on historical data, thus mobilising statistics, will constitute major methodological challenges in this area.
Axis 2 – Sustainability, viability and environmental justice criteria.
The work in this area focuses on the quantification of the sustainability and viability of ecosystems and on the ethical issues raised by the global changes affecting them. Inter- and intra-generational equity and justice issues are thus central. The multi-criteria dimensions related to the reconciliation of ecological, economic and social objectives underlying the sustainability of the SES are also major. The approaches and methodologies employed combine optimal control and viable control based on the compatibility between dynamics and constraints, standards and thresholds of acceptability and feasibility.
Axis 3 – Risks, resilience and global changes.
Research in this area focuses on the assessment and management of uncertainties and risks in the SEA. These uncertainties linked to global changes include shocks (such as covid, tsunami, financial crisis, …) and stochasticities (probabilistic uncertainty). In this context of uncertainty, the concept of resilience is playing an increasing role in decision-making, including in private sector risk management, development investments and the objectives of multilateral agencies (e.g. FAO; World Bank). However, scientists and policy makers lack a common understanding of resilience and practical applications for environmental management are rare. Different strategies for resilience including adaptation and transformation are studied and compared from this perspective. The study of the role of diversification (and cooperation; see axis (iv)) for resilience is also central.
Axis 4 – Policy interactions, instruments and ecological transition.
The issues of environmental regulation and regulation constitute the central research theme of this axis to operationalise the ecological transition, particularly in the face of the tragedy of the commons and the lack of cooperation in open access to SES. The heterogeneity of stakeholders (NGOs, producers, consumers, regulatory agencies, etc.) makes decision-making in the field of SESs particularly difficult. In this context, game theory (coalitions, Nash optimality, negotiations, etc.) is used and adapted.
The comparison of the bio-economic performance of different instruments including regulatory instruments (e.g. quotas or protected areas), financial instruments (subsidies, taxes, quota markets, offsets) or informational instruments (ecolabels) is carried out in this perspective. The applications range from the management of agro-ecosystems, in particular vineyards and forests, to fisheries, water resources and coastal management.