The COEXISTENCE research project addresses the intricate conflicts between fisheries and marine megafauna, with a particular focus on sharks and odontocetes (toothed whales) in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). These conflicts manifest in various forms, ranging from targeted catches for consumption to spatial competition and conflictual access to resource, leading to adverse interactions such as bycatch or depredation, impacting both fishers and megafauna. The study's central objective is to explore the social and ecological mechanisms behind these conflicts, using the acquired knowledge to formulate sustainable solutions that promote coexistence in a region characterized by diverse jurisdictions and fisheries. Over the past decades, human-wildlife conflicts have intensified globally, presenting a challenge to conserve vulnerable or endangered species while developing sustainable solutions. These conflicts affect multiple facets of marine socio-ecosystems, impacting the economic viability of fishing activities, the livelihoods of fishers, and the conservation of large marine predators and ecosystems. Bycatch and targeted catch have led to the near extinction of several species, while depredation and fish losses have resulted in fishery closures due to insufficient yields. Despite increasing attention paid to mitigating bycatch and depredation, enduring solutions for coexistence between fisheries and large marine predators remain limited. Additionally, marine predators are targeted by artisanal fisheries for subsistence or illegal markets, especially in developing countries, therefore requiring urgent conservation actions. The movement of marine predators across jurisdictions with varying conservation measures and fishing pressures complicates management efforts in the Western Indian Ocean, hence a need for a pluri-disciplinary approach to address trade-offs between economic viability, species conservation, and ecological system resilience. The limitations in coexistence solutions stem from fragmented management and research approaches, with separate considerations of socio-economic and ecological aspects. The lack of transdisciplinary efforts and integrated information results in conflicting processes within governance systems, as illustrated by the utilization of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) without a comprehensive understanding of the conflicts. Effective MPAs must consider the ecology and behavior of predator species, their population structure and connectivity, and the perceptions of local communities. The Mozambique Channel, a crucial habitat for diverse species exploited by various fisheries, is particularly relevant. The project aims to bridge knowledge gaps by improving understanding of ecological and genetic connectivity, social-ecological drivers, and conflicts. Using an integrated transdisciplinary approach, it seeks to develop coexistence solutions, including changes in fishing practices and recommendations for MPAs or other spatial management measures, considering the long-term stability of social-ecological systems. Structured into four work packages, the project addresses ecological and genetic connectivity, maps and models of conflicts, and proposes integrated solutions. It focuses on odontocetes (killer whales, false killer whales, short-finned pilot whales) involved in depredation conflicts and three shark species (tiger sharks, bull sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks) vulnerable to various fisheries. The project involves international collaboration with researchers and local actors from France, South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, and the Comoros. Through fieldwork and collaboration with existing initiatives, COEXISTENCE aims to generate comprehensive, integrated information. This information serves as a toolbox guiding decisions of managers and stakeholders, contributing to sustainable socio-ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean.

The need for fully integrated cryogenic instruments 1) measuring physical quantities with ultimate sensitivity, up to the quantum limit; 2) processing the data at high clock speed up to several tens of GHz and; 3) delivering pre-processed data at high throughputs of several Gbits/second per channel to off-the-shelf equipment is felt in several domains: for the quest of knowledge associated to big science, like astrophysics or particle physics, for the development of quantum cryptographic front-ends to secure data and interfacing quantum bit systems, for processing digital signals on microwave frequency carriers, for imaging the brain or heart for medicine, as just a few examples. Often each task is achieved separately in a customized way for niche applications. This is an obstacle to the dissemination of instruments that are necessary, for example, for future imagers with very high performances. Besides, dedicated solutions do not enable incremental progress towards systems that can be easily re-used for other applications. Here we propose a novel interdisciplinary path with breakthrough technological solutions based on superconducting devices to provide end-users from different domains with an enabling cryogenic digital platform. This solution embeds nanoscale energy efficient superconducting digital processing circuits and sensors with superconducting high throughput amplifiers. To our knowledge this has never been done so far. To validate the proof-of-concept and enable faster future transfer of technology four companies are involved in the development and integration of technological modules and to prepare future exploitation. At the basic science level, this approach may allow developing at a larger scale nanoscale superconducting devices for further high-density integration of complex imagers and digital processing systems for future metrological, telecommunication, supercomputing and quantum computer applications. To achieve these objectives we decided, with a consortium based on 14 partners to apply to the FET-OPEN call. Our project submitted in January 2017 passed all thresholds but did not get funding given its global mark in a very competitve call with success rate of about 7%. We have an encouraging Evaluation Summary Report and we can improve our proposal to submit it again for the upcoming FET-OPEN call of May 2018. To achieve that objective we need to meet and discuss in more details our scientific and technological plans, the organisation of the work to upgrade our proposal and its FET-OPEN application document. We also need external advice regarding the planned activities and the polishing of the document of the H2020 application with some company specialized in that activity. Consequently the MRSEI call of the ANR is the adequate call to upgrade our proposal and reinforce the planned activities in the European framework.

Nature-based solutions (NBSs) geared to the design and management of sustainable, multifunctional landscapes require innovative planning. Such landscape planning, and the modification of practices, involves tradeoffs between competing claims for natural resources and land uses, as well as the aspirations, interests, and goals of different (local to global) actors. At the same time, transitioning from current to sustainable multifunctional landscapes offers new opportunities to create synergies between bio(cultural)diversity conservation and human well-being. We will explore the transformative power of these NBSs across three continents – Latin America (Brazil), Africa (South Africa), and Europe (France). The target rural landscapes of these countries differ in their social-ecological context, in the level at which NBSs have been promoted by government and social organisations, in the degree of stakeholder engagement, and in their degree of adoption by farmers. With the aim of informing policy, conservation, and development efforts, our objective is to explore landscape-level implementation of NBSs and their implications to improve biodiversity status and ecosystem services at the landscape, local and micro scales, and for human well-being in terms of food security and sovereignty, nutritional diversity, social inclusion, and sustainable rural livelihoods. The work will be organised into three work packages (WP) that address the following specific objectives: 1: To assess how transitioning towards NBSs improve biodiversity status at micro- (soil), meso- (plot, farm) local and landscape scale; 2: To assess the social-ecological tradeoffs and synergies at landscape level that may prevent or facilitate the implementation of NBS; 3: To engage stakeholders, with a focus on local communities that have a stake at the landscape, to co-develop ways of facilitating the implementation of NBS; A fourth WP will coordinate the project, integrate results and communicate them to the broader policy stakeholders, the public and the scientific community. In the context of the new European Green Deal and the 2022 UN Food Summit declaration, it is expected that agroecology and regenerative agriculture will increasingly permeate national policies and political discourses, in a quest to address the major challenge of global food security while addressing biodiversity conservation and tackling other societal challenges such as climate change adaptation/mitigation. This project FOUNDATIONAL would hence be highly timely to help refine the national vision and missions around sustainable farming based on these NBS and increase the uptake of these practices among farmers and citizens.

The goal of the ScenNet project is to strengthen national and international ties between researchers working on scenarios of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The project involves researchers from a wide range of disciplines covering all aspects of scenarios including modeling of impacts of global change on biodiversity and ecosystem services, scenarios of socio-economic development that take into account biodiversity and ecosystem services, and feedbacks of changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services on decision making. At the global level, this project will support the newly initiated Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and reinforce the recently launched interdisciplinary global change program, Future Earth. Strong ties and coherence with these are ensured through significant participation of researchers involved in both IPBES and Future Earth. ScenNet focuses on networking and capacity building in all eight countries participating in the Belmont Forum call for proposals. Networking and capacity building in ScenNet is based on i) international workshops, ii) development of national networks, iii) a large international conference on biodiversity and ecosystem scenarios to be held in 2016 and vi) a web-based networking tool. The project also builds on and brings added value to a number of other research programs and networks at national and international levels. Substantial participation by nonfunding countries has been ensured by linking ScenNet to on-going international projects with similar objectives; for example, the EU-COST Action Harmbio project that focuses on harmonizing global biodiversity modeling and the Eur-oceans project that includes the harmonization of regional and global marine systems modeling.