2025-06 Studying biodiversity in the heart of the Pyrenees: European students immersed at UPPA

Studying biodiversity in the heart of the Pyrenees: European students immersed at UPPA

From fieldwork to analysis, biodiversity was revealed to around thirty students from Italy, Spain and France, as part of an intensive programme organised in the Pyrenees by the Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (UPPA), in partnership with three other universities in the UNITA alliance: the Università di Torino (Italy), the Universidad Pública de Navarra and the Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain).

This Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), co-constructed by teachers from these establishments, aimed to train undergraduate, masters and doctoral students in the methods of studying and analysing biodiversity. For this first edition, the Pyrenees served as a life-size learning ground, combining species observation, sample collection and interdisciplinary exchanges.

Despite the inclement weather, participants enjoyed ideal conditions throughout the week. They were able to observe species directly (various animals and plants, some of them emblematic: isards, calotritons, gypaete, Pyrenean ramonde...), record bird songs and bat calls, and take various samples (soil, peat, water, flowers, insects, faeces...) to learn more about the local flora and fauna. The programme also provided an opportunity to learn about advanced concepts such as phytosociology - the study of plant communities - and how to identify the species of living beings that have passed through a particular area, by analysing the DNA present in the environment.

Back in Pau, the samples collected are analysed in the UPPA laboratories. This second phase enables students to compare their field observations with the tools of scientific research: soil and water analyses, identification of plant and animal species under magnifying glasses and microscopes, interpretation of acoustic recordings, analysis of environmental DNA, etc. This is a fundamental part of acquiring a comprehensive approach to the study of biodiversity.

Supervised by specialists - botanists, ornithologists, herpetologists, soil scientists, entomologists, zootechnicians - the students have developed practical skills for understanding and analysing the complexity of ecosystems.

Gipsy Peltier, a biology teacher at UPPA and head of the project, emphasises the high scientific level of the participants and the richness of the exchanges between universities.

Next year, the University of Turin will host the second edition of this BIP, confirming the European training dynamic supported by the UNITA alliance, which brings together twelve universities across Europe.