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French Scientific Committee on Desertification

Comité Scientifique Français de la Désertification
Jean-Luc Chotte - Membre du CSFD

Chotte Jean-Luc

Senior scientist IRD at Eco&Sols, Montpellier France
President of the CSFD

Main activities

Trained as a pedologist (Soil Scientist), my research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that control the dynamics of organic matter in soils. I study the impact of agricultural practices and climate change on carbon stocks and CO2 fluxes particularly in West Africa, more precisely in the Sahel. I am an IRD referent in the 4P1000 initiative. I participated 4 years in the work of the Political Science Interface of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

My work focuses on the 3 dimensions of the fight against land degradation: Avoiding, Reducing land degradation, Restoring degraded land. The results contribute to the achievement of a neutral world in terms of degradation.

My research activity has initially focused on the microbial processes of organic matter decomposition in relation to carbon and nitrogen cycles in tropical agro-ecosystems. I particularly focused on the interactions between soil structure and the abundance, activity and diversity of microbial communities involved in these processes. This work at the scale of microbial habitats also aimed to determine the impact of land use changes on these processes and to take into account the importance of these microbial habitats in the stability (resistance, resilience) of the functioning of these communities in the face of these changes of use but also in the face of climate change by taking into account the impact of temperature changes.
Subsequently, the scientific knowledge produced by these collaborative activities is part of a global approach whose objectives are to clarify the place of agriculture in the objectives of sustainable development. This evolution of my research program, more encompassing, is based on 3 interconnected axes: Agroecology, with a focus on the role of biological interactions in soils and their impacts on the carbon and nitrogen cycles, the research component of the “4P1000” initiative (soils for food security and climate), Land degradation.
Since 2015, I have been involved in the Political Science dialogue, within the Political Science Interface of the UNCCD in particular.

(Co-)author of the following CSFD document(s)