Prácticas en el Museo de Historia Natural de Francia

Internship opportunity at the French Natural History Museum: Green Roofs as Nature Based Solutions: identifying links between ecosystem service provision and biodiversity

France’s National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) is a public institution that has studied the relationship between humans and nature for almost 400 years. Its current fields of study are vast, and include how nature can help humanity respond to modern day challenges (i.e. climate change) through bioinspiration and Nature Based Solutions (NBS) .

Context

With its extensive experience in urban ecology , the Museum recently became a partner of the H2020 Regreen project, which aims to foster Nature-Based Solutions for the ecological transition of cities in Europe and China . Bringing together 20 partners in four countries (France, Denmark, Croatia and China), Regreen has four key goals: i) improving knowledge on Nature Based Solutions; ii) the development of cartographic tools and models; iii) the deployment of markets and jobs related to Nature Based Solutions; and iv) studying the links between well-being, health and nature in cities.

The Museum is involved in the Regreen’s Work Package 3, on the “Mapping and modelling of ecosystem services” provided by Nature Based Solutions. One aspect of this WP requires investigating the link between urban NBS and biodiversity, and specifically how the quality of NBS might depend on biodiversity.

The Museum has selected green roofs as the target NBS for this work, as they represent an accessible type of green infrastructure that can be applied at multiple scales, and for which a knowledge base and political commitment already exists in France and internationally.
Green roofs are often described as Nature-Based Solutions that can deliver ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration; urban heat island reduction; stormwater management; insulation (sound and heat); improved air quality; food production; improved photovoltaic outputs (due to cooling effect); recreation/well-being and human health. However, these benefits are not yet well quantified. The GROOVES project (2017 – 2019) carried out an assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services of 36 green roofs in the Greater Paris area. The study showed that these benefits vary across green roofs and depend on design and management principles.

Moreover, questions remain regarding how biodiversity underpins the provision of these ecosystem services. Green roofs in urban areas are often challenging environments for plant growth, in part due to their exposure to environmental stresses. It is hypothesised that biodiversity, and associations between species in particular, might play a critical role in ensuring resilient biological communities. Exploring these relationships would increase our understanding of the ecology of green roofs and help urban planners to create green roofs in a “nature-based” way.

Internship objectives

The internship will build on existing expertise and data available on Paris Region green roofs, particularly the GROOVES project, in order to:
i) Map green roofs’ biodiversity in the greater Paris region;
ii) Model the relationship between green roofs’ biodiversity and ecosystem service provision and;
iii) Provide guidance on the creation of green roofs that support ecosystem service provision and biodiversity

Although primarily focused on the greater Paris region as one of the Urban Living Labs (ULL) of Regreen , this work should be applicable to other ULLs (Denmark, Croatia and China), and sufficiently flexible to accommodate local biogeographic and socio-economic conditions.

Tasks and activities

Under the co-direction of Annabelle Aish (Bioinspire-Museum) and Dr Laurent Palka (UMR CESCO), and in collaboration with other MNHN and ARB colleagues, the intern will carry out the following two activities:
1. Mapping and modelling
Using relevant statistical tools and software, analyse the existing GROOVES datasets (multi-taxa inventories of flora/arthropods/microorganisms) and ecosystem services data (in particular, temperature mitigation and water retention/evapotranspiration) collected during the Grooves project to evaluate how green roof biodiversity contributes to ecosystem services provision. These datasets cover 36 roofs across the greater Paris area.
2. Guidance
Based on the above analyses, suggest how green roofs, as NBS, might be constructed to maximise their ecosystem services (and biodiversity) in cities.

Outputs and deliverables

The internship will deliver three key outputs:
• A scientific report summarising the work undertaken as part of activities 1 and 2.
• A scientific article, co-authored with project supervisors, for submission to an appropriate conservation journal.

These documents will build on existing literature and will be written in English.

Internal partners

UMR CESCO

External partners

• Paris Region Institute and its Regional Biodiversity Agency (Regreen partner)
• Other Regreen Project partners and particularly representatives of the “Urban Living Labs”.

Administrative prerequisites:
Masters student (“Masters 2” in France or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline (environmental sciences, ecology, environmental management).

Required skills
• Good background in ecology (urban ecology would be a plus)
• Good statistical skills, and familiarity with associated software (including R).
• Analytical skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Scientific rigour
• Fluency in French and English
• Well-developed verbal and written communication

Conditions
• Duration: 6 months
• Location: MNHN, rue Buffon, 75005 Paris
• Remuneration: 615 euros/month

Recruitment procedure

Candidates should submit their application by the 06/12/20 to aaish@mnhn.fr.
Applications should include a CV and covering letter (pdf or word document).
Interviews will be conducted by videoconference in mid-December 2020. The successful candidate will be selected by the 18th December and the internship will begin the 1st February 2021 at the latest.
For further information about the post, please contact aaish@mnhn.fr