Groundwater and resource preservation
The partner interview
Delphine Albouy Head of the CASP Priority Projects Mission at the Water and Biodiversity Department of the Directorate General for Development, Housing and Nature at the Ministry for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forestry, Sea and Fisheries
What challenges are you facing today?
Delphine Albouy – At the Water and Biodiversity Department, we have to respond to major environmental challenges. We work at the intersection of a number of issues, including public policy, research, innovation, climate change, regional issues, etc. So this means a major change for us: the need to reintroduce a long-term perspective into our tasks in order to better inform public decision makers.
Does this long-term strategy redefine the scientific approach to public policy support?
D. A. – Yes, because in the course of public procurements, we often have little time in which to provide immediate responses to decision-making needs. The Explore2 project, for example, gave us the opportunity to conduct long-term research: we started in 2021 and BRGM scientists delivered the study in 2024. On the other hand, we work on projects that can involve a large number of stakeholders. With a cross-disciplinary approach to complex, multi-stakeholder systems, and over the long term, we are redefining support for public decision makers in a way that is both holistic and, in our view, innovative. This is perfectly possible with partners such as BRGM. This is where our partnership with the institution really comes into its own: expertise that is not only solid and integrated, but also – and above all – forward-looking.
How does this translate into projects?
D. A. – Let’s look back at the Explore2 study launched by the French National Agriculture, Food and Environmental Research Institute (INRAE) and the International Office for Water (OiEau) based on of the question of how global warming will affect water resources in mainland France by 2100. BRGM has proposed an unprecedented range of hydrogeological projections in a way that precisely addresses the concern I expressed. A systemic approach is adopted that combines climate scenarios and hydrogeological data, adopting a long-term view. To sum up, by modelling changes in the water cycle in a changing climate context on a national and sub-national scale, BRGM is making a major contribution to the growing need for forecasting.
