Introducing Léa Paly!

Léa’s work is deeply rooted in understanding the intricate relationships between humans, society, and nature over time, with a focus on the evolution of waterscapes, particularly coastal wetlands landscape, as evidence of the interaction between human beings, society and nature. This knowledge can be used as a basis for building forward-looking scenarios for these environments and for questioning them.

Her doctoral research focused on the coastal wetlands of the French Atlantic, where she analyzed their landscape trajectories from the 18th century to the present day. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, Léa worked with archival data, integrated into GIS software, to uncover the socio-natural drivers behind protected heritage landscapes. By conducting interviews with stakeholders, Léa also examined the nature of protected heritage and its socio-cultural representations.

By connecting the knowledge of the coastal wetlands’ history and the local stakeholders’ points of view and values, Léa was able to identify and understand the baselines mobilized for landscape management and nature conservation. These baselines are fundamental as they are always negotiated at the local scale depending on different values and meanings for stakeholders and are now challenged by climate change.

In the REWRITE project, Léa will play a key role in defining  Trajectories of Rewilding for the 10 Demonstrator sites. Using historical maps, archival data, integrated into GIS software, along with stakeholder insights, Léa will contribute to understanding the spatial and temporal analysis of the landscapes of European coastal wetlands across REWRITE’s 10 demonstrator sites.

Her expertise will provide critical insights into how these landscapes have transformed over time and inform forward-looking rewilding scenarios for European coastal wetlands.

Welcome to the team, Léa—we’re excited to see how your work will shape REWRITE’s vision for coastal landscape restoration!