How have Mediterranean forests evolved over the millennia? What roles have climate, wildfires and human activity played in transforming our landscapes?

This video takes you to the heart of the research being carried out by scientists at the Mediterranean Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology. At the crossroads of contemporary and historical ecology, researchers are reconstructing the history of the downy oak forests in the Luberon Regional Nature Park to better understand how they function today.

The IMBE is unique in its ability to combine functional ecology approaches—through the study of the soil-plant continuum (microbial soil functioning and its impact on the production of plant phytometabolites)—with those of historical ecology (reconstructing the history of forests using pedoantracological and palynological methods).

LThe HIST 2F project (funded by the Sud Region) aims to understand how past forest dynamics can influence current forest processes and, consequently, the vulnerabilities of forests in the face of climate change.

Combining field observations, laboratory work and accounts from researchers and PhD students, Find out how natural archives from the past (charcoal and pollen trapped in soil and sediments) can help us better understand the environmental challenges of today and tomorrow.

A behind-the-scenes look at palaeoecology, soil science and the phytometabolome of oak trees, meeting the people who are deciphering the history of Mediterranean landscapes.