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Environmental Transition for Research, Action Research and Education

Territories Sciences-Society Pathways Transitions Collaborations Systemic

About

The Major Research Program TERRAE, involving a community of around 150 PSL researchers, provides a platform for research addressing current and future challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and related social issues. TERRAE specifically aims to consolidate, amplify, and structure research at PSL for the development of ecological and social transition pathways, drawing on all research sectors involved within PSL, especially in geosciences, biodiversity and health sciences, as well as human and social sciences.

Given the need for a systemic approach to transitions and rapid implementation of transition strategies, TERRAE seeks to :

forge a bond between PSL research teams
identify and develop research methods with a strong impact on society and biodiversity in order to accelerate ecological and social transition: highimpact, transition-oriented research

This research will have greater impact thanks to constant engagement and dialogue, from the outset of each project, with stakeholders, who will play a role not only as vehicles for questions and new research challenges, but also as partners and actors in their implementation and spread.

Discover TERRAE

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The Major Research Program TERRAE responds to the urgent need to develop pathways for transitioning to a more environmentally and socially resilient world. It brings together a community of around 150 researchers from five PSL institutions engaged in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary initiatives on environmental issues.

Main Areas of Research

Analysis of systemic challenges of transitions

Identifying and understanding the intersections between climate change, biodiversity, and social issues

Transition hotspots and Pilot projects

Designing and implementing transdisciplinary projects on social and ecological transition issues (business sectors, territories, practices) by developing innovative systemic approaches

Collaborative research and societal impact

Collaborating with field stakeholders and relevant audiences to integrate their questions and challenges, as well as their expertise, into research projects, and working with them to activate ecological and social transition

Training and awareness-raising on transitions

Developing links between sustainability science research and teaching to train a new generation of transformative action research stakeholders

Projects

TERRAE implements two types of research projects.

Transition Hotspots, projects focused on a clearly defined systemic research topic and its pathway. This could be a territory, a business sector, a practice or a challenge (for example, droughts). Two projects were launched in 2025 and two more will emerge by the end of 2025 during collaborative workshops bringing together researchers and field stakeholders.

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Imagine Agroecology

Droughts

OrgAlign

Conscious

Habiterra

Pilot projects are smaller-scale, interdisciplinary and co-created with field stakeholders. These Pilot projects will be selected through 3 calls for proposals. 3 projects emerged from the call for projects Pilot UNO (CONSOLIDE, TRUST UNDONE DATA, ERAT). 3 others will emerge from the ongoing call for projects Pilot SECUNDO.

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