Inaugural lesson 2019 with Gilles Boeuf

Gilles Boeuf is Professor at Sorbonne Université (Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UPMC), associated with the Oceanographic Observatory of Banyuls after having spent 20 years with IFREMER. Gilles Boeuf is a specialist in environmental physiology and biodiversity.

He was President of the French Natural History Museum (MNHN) between 2009 and 2015.

He was also Invited Professor at the College of France for the acadamic year 2013-2014, on the Chair Sustainable Development, Energy, Environment and Society. His lessons there focused on interactions between biodiversity and humanity. For two years he was Scientific Advisor to Ségolène Royal, then Minister of Environment, Energie and Seas.

He is President of the French National Agency for Biodiversity. He received, in 2013 the Grand Medal Albert 1 of Monaco for his career, dedicated to the seas and oceans.

>HUMANIty and biodiversity

Humans are naturally part of the biodiversity but they have also differentiated themselves from it by becoming one of the most powerful drivers of its evolution.

With this presentation, we will take a fresh look at how humanity developed in inscription within the biodiversity. This situation could seem paradoxical. On the one hand, recent research has shown how all species are incredibly connected to each other – humans being no exception. On the other hand, partly because of technological development – humans see themselves as increasingly distanced, different from other living species. Today, we are worried by the frightful impact of human activities referred to as the Anthropocene – destruction of ecosystems, widespread pollution, dissemination of everything everywhere, overexploitation of stocks (forests, fishing), and finally, of course, a fast changing climate which is very much to be attributed to our activities.

We will reflect upon the solutions to be implemented in order to move from faber to sapiens!