Publications
Potentiel des satellites Pléiades Neo pour restituer la topographie fine des glaciers
Satellites Pléiades Neo offer unprecedented precision for glacier topography, with 30 cm resolution—double that of their predecessors. This study demonstrates their ability to generate high-accuracy digital terrain models (DTMs) for small glaciers in the Pyrenees, such as Aneto, Ossoue, and Monte Perdido, by comparing them to drone-derived DTMs and national LiDAR data. The More Global Matching (MGM) correlator proved most effective, capturing fine morphological details like moulins on the Ossoue Glacier, which were previously harder to characterize with Pléiades HR. This advancement enhances our capacity to monitor glacier dynamics at an unprecedented scale.
Assessment and outlook of the global karst World Natural Heritage Sites based on threat intensity
A rising threat intensity to global karst World Natural Heritage Sites (WNHS), particularly in the Asia & Pacific region, has been identified, with management and institutional factors posing the highest risk. This study employed the Threat Intensity Coefficient (TIC) to analyze 31 karst WNHS, revealing uneven distribution and increasing threats from human activities such as social/cultural uses and development. While Europe and North America show well-controlled threat levels, high-risk factors in these regions were also highlighted when integrated with States of Conservation reports. The research underscores the need for targeted conservation efforts to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of these sites.
Pyrenees of Spain, France, and Andorra
The Pyrenees, formed by the collision of African and European tectonic plates over 50 million years, showcase a complex geological narrative of continental collisions, fold-thrust belts, salt tectonics, and evolving sedimentary basins. This geo-tour traverses the eastern and central Pyrenees, revealing key features such as thrust faults, growth strata, evaporite detachment horizons, and large fan deltas. The journey covers 1,250 km through UNESCO Global Geoparks, national parks, natural parks, and World Heritage Sites, including Montserrat and Monte Perdido/Pyrénées – Mont Perdu. It highlights the interplay between tectonics and sedimentation during rifting, compression, and basin inversion, along with peridotites exposed by crustal extension. The Pyrenees' stunning landscapes—hot springs, waterfalls, glacial valleys, and jagged peaks—offer a rich tapestry of geological and human history.
Dynamique spatio-temporelle de la limite supérieure de la forêt dans la partie orientale des Pyrénées françaises : le rôle de l’anthropisation et des changements climatiques
A study of the Pyrenees-Mount Perdu World Heritage Site reveals that the upper forest boundary, marking the transition between forest and alpine meadows, is shifting to lower altitudes than predicted by climate models alone. This dynamic is influenced by a complex interplay of anthropogenic factors and climate change, with local contexts playing a significant role at smaller scales. The research combines diachronic mapping, statistical regional analyses, and on-the-ground naturalist surveys to demonstrate that the hierarchy of influencing factors varies across spatial scales. These findings challenge the assumption that climate is the sole driver of forest boundary dynamics and highlight the need for multiscale approaches in understanding such ecological shifts.
Bagnères-de-Bigorre : un laboratoire des sources dans les Hautes-Pyrénées
A novel approach to understanding and managing UNESCO World Heritage Sites emerges from the study of Bagnères-de-Bigorre, a thermal spa in the Pyrénées - Mont Perdu region. The research reveals that natural waters play a pivotal role in shaping landscapes and fostering resilience, challenging traditional notions of heritage conservation. By focusing on thermo-mineral sources and micro-pastoral irrigation systems, the study demonstrates how these elements can catalyze synergies between different sectors, from thermalism to pastoralism. This interdisciplinary collaboration, involving researchers, professionals, and local communities, showcases a dynamic model for landscape management that transcends generational and social boundaries, offering new possibilities for sustainable development in UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué dans les Pyrénées (1864-1870). Mondanités et folklore à l’ombre de la « querelle du Barzaz-Breiz »
Between 1864 and 1870, Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué, renowned for his collection of Breton folk songs Barzaz-Breiz, spent significant time in the Pyrénées - Mont Perdu region, primarily at Eaux-Bonnes and Pau. His stays were marked by both personal hardship—accompanying his ailing wife—and intellectual engagement, particularly during the contentious 'querelle du Barzaz-Breiz,' which questioned the authenticity of his work. La Villemarqué found support in Pau from figures like Lorrain Puymaigre, with whom he shared an interest in folk poetry. Their collaboration extended to fieldwork, including the collection of songs from the Ossau Valley, offering a unique intersection of personal narrative and cultural preservation. This period underscores La Villemarqué's role not only as a collector but also as an active participant in the scholarly debates of his time.
Hunting ghosts: on spectacles of spectrality and the trophy animal
Hunting ghosts: on spectacles of spectrality and the trophy animal reveals how trophy hunting in the Spanish Pyrenees creates 'spectacles' that detach animals, like the extinct bucardo (Pyrenean ibex), from their ecological contexts. The study uses Jacques Derrida’s concept of spectrality and Guy Debord’s theory of the spectacle to analyze how taxidermy and photography transform ghostly figures into symbols of human mastery over landscapes. It argues that the absence of the bucardo, already elusive by the 19th century, was marked through trophies, which inferred its presence while removing it from temporal realities. A typology of spectral sensing—mourning, marking, and working—is proposed to frame how ghosts are culturally interpreted. The research highlights the material implications of hunting on extinction narratives and the role of visual technologies in shaping these spectacles.
L’invisibilité des internés portugais dans les camps français en 1939-1940. Ressortissants espagnols ou « Internationaux » ?
Portuguese volunteers and immigrants from Republican Spain, who fled to France during the Spanish Civil War's Retirada (1938-1939), were systematically rendered invisible by French authorities. Despite their distinct identity—often mislabeled as 'brigadists' or grouped with Spanish refugees—they were excluded from historical narratives on foreign internment in France, including recent studies. This study uncovers the administrative erasure of Portuguese refugees, highlighting how they were stripped of their nationality and assimilated into broader categories, contributing to a 'weak memory' in historiography. The research employs archival analysis to challenge this oversight, revealing the complexities of identity and belonging during wartime displacement.
Le retour du bouquetin dans les Pyrénées. L’exemple de sa réintroduction en Ariège
The ibex (Capra pyrenaica) in the Pyrenees, once on the brink of extinction due to overhunting in the 20th century, has seen a remarkable recovery through reintroduction efforts. This study highlights the successful reintroduction of the species in Ariège, France, demonstrating how conservation strategies can reverse population decline. The research combines historical analysis with ecological monitoring, tracking the ibex's genetic and demographic recovery since its reintroduction. Key factors for success included habitat restoration, legal protection, and community engagement. The findings underscore the importance of long-term conservation planning in restoring endangered species, offering a model for similar efforts in other regions.
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