Plants in southern cities

This decidedly international (France, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Madagascar) and interdisciplinary network brings together academics from social sciences (geography) and natural sciences (plant and animal biology), as well as landscape architects and professionals in geosciences and the environment. The aim is to study vegetation in the cities of Algiers, Marrakech, and Sousse, Dakar and Saint Louis, and Toliara and Antananarivo (Madagascar), where French colonization introduced public vegetation into the urban model, still deeply structuring these cities. The objective is to document the changes in this vegetation in the face, on the one hand, of urban development, which implies a reduction of vegetation in the city, and on the other hand, major environmental challenges in the context of climate change that need to be addressed, especially regarding heat islands, while simultaneously ensuring a high-quality living environment for the residents.

Network coordinator

• Aude Nuscia Taïbi (University of Angers, France)