Graie

Conference on Land Use Change and Water Systems : Interdisciplinary approaches connecting Social and Natural Sciences

Context Over the last decades, land use and land management change – urbanization, development ofintensive agriculture, land abandonment, reclaiming of wetlands and floodplains… – haveexerted significant influences on water systems and the broader environment and society.Recently, practitioners and academics are actively exploring innovative land use strategies,with a stronger reliance on natural processes. Their goal is to foster a more integratedmanagement of water capable of addressing on-going global changes. Supporting decision makers in the design of these strategies requires the use ofinterdisciplinary approaches, encompassing inter allia : i) the understanding of relationshipsbetween land use dynamics and water systems (surface and groundwater), ii) the descriptionof social representations and perceptions surrounding these changes and iii) the assessmentof economic, social and environmental impacts stemming from historical changes andprospective scenarios. Objectives This scientific conference endeavours to showcase interdisciplinary contributions thatintegrate natural and social sciences and cover these different approaches. The objective is toprovide valuable insights supporting the development of sustainable land managementstrategies. Program The conference will cover three main themes: Theme 1 : Characterization of land use, water use and water resources through remote sensing,observation and citizen scienceTheme 2 : Representation and modelling of the complex interactions between land, water andsocial systemsTheme 3: Interdisciplinary assessment…