The SONAR@Lyon project
Nature-based solutions (NbS) in urban areas are increasingly being adopted by cities to address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Although these NbS are considered promising, their effects on environmental, animal, and human health remain understudied. Furthermore, the literature presents conflicting hypotheses regarding whether biodiversity increases or decreases the risk of pathogen transmission. Consequently, decision-makers lack tools to support decision-making that account for the full range of NbS impacts on environmental, animal, and human health.
Adopting a “One Health” approach, this project aims to provide decision-makers with a multi-criteria analysis and decision-support methodology for the deployment of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). More specifically, the project seeks to develop methods and tools for monitoring biodiversity and infectious disease risks (arboviruses, leptospirosis, borreliosis); to link the presence of biological risks to animal health (specifically domestic carnivores) at NbS sites; to capture the perceived physical and mental health benefits and risks among NbS users; and to establish the conditions for local dialogue necessary to implement the multi-criteria analysis and decision-support methodology.
Rooted in the Lyon metropolitan area, this project brings together six research teams partnering with SHAPE-Med@Lyon, alongside various academic and non-academic partners (Santé publique France, Cerema, i-Cad, SantéVet, and the Lyon Métropole and Ville de Lyon), to develop an interdisciplinary approach to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that addresses current societal challenges. It will thus help structure a community of stakeholders with the ultimate goal of establishing a One Health observatory for urban NbS.
Project leaders:
Agnès LEBLOND
Agnès Leblond is a Professor of Equine Internal Medicine at VetAgro Sup and an associate researcher with the UMR INRAE VetAgro Sup, EPIA, unit (Epidemiology of Animal and Zoonotic Diseases). For 20 years, she worked on methods and tools for the early detection of emerging vector-borne zoonoses. Over the past three years, she has refocused her research on issues regarding urban resilience and greening, the role of companion animals in urban environments, and health risks.
Sabine CAILLAUD
Sabine Caillaud is an Associate Professor (holding the HDR qualification) in Social Psychology and currently directs the Laboratoire GRePS. Her work falls within the field of social thought, seeking to understand how we generate knowledge about the world around us and how that knowledge evolves in response to environmental changes. She has notably explored these issues in the context of ecological and health-related challenges. She also conducts research in the field of qualitative studies.
