Abstract
Many municipalities in France are currently changing their public space management practices, by reducing the quantity of plant protection products used, in the framework of an adapted management policy. These changes in practices are quickly bringing about changes in the urban structure configuration, by allowing for the installation of spontaneous plants in the streets, pavements and other urban spaces. These spaces are taken and used daily by the town people, who can be affected by the landscape changes linked to the presence of a new type of nature in their living spaces. The aim of this project is to link the biological reality of these vegetal newcomers in urban spaces with the expectations, perceptions and usages of those spaces by the town people, with the objective of improving the sustainability of local public policies. We ask the following questions: how to characterise the urban structure’s spontaneous vegetation (in terms of species and functional characteristics)? How are spontaneous plants perceived by the town people (whether they use the spaces or not) according to their biological characteristics, but also and especially according to the variability of the individual, cultural and socioeconomic profiles of individuals? What kind of overview can be offered to the communities to link ecological, economic and social objectives for a sustainable management of spontaneous urban flora? We will address these questions using an interdisciplinary approach that links ecology and conservation psychology, around a “Wilderness in my street” participative science programme developed under the scientific responsibility of the National Natural History Museum. The implementation of this programme will also allow us to study the conditions in which participation to such a programme can encourage the volunteers to reconnect to close nature and/or conservation aims. At a time where local communities are strongly encouraged to conserve ordinary biodiversity on their territories (for ecological and social reasons), this project’s ambition is to offer management paths which are relevant on an ecological level, favourable to citizen’s reconnection with close nature and acceptable to them.
France