At the beginning of the 21st century, working toward the protection and management of nature requires intervention on both natural components (ecosystems, species) and human practices and uses related to nature. This observation is the gateway to the research and questioning developed by the research group «Sustainable Use of Natural Resources».
It is therefore at the interface of applied ecology sciences and the economic and social sciences that the search for practical and pragmatic solutions is built. The research group brings together these two areas of expertise to study the relationship between nature and society.
The research developed by the group is applied and aims to solve concrete problems identified by managers. In this sense, conflict is a privileged gateway to these issues. These conflicts arise from several tensions between human development and its constraints and the needs and demands of nature. They may also come from conflicting visions of access to and use of nature and its resources. An important challenge is to reduce the impact of these conflicts by developing innovative solutions that reconcile the interests of both human development and nature.