Following the Rio +20 conference and the release of the 5th IPCC report, environmental issues remain at the heart of political, societal and scientific concerns. These are specially felt in Brazil, where changes have been particularly dramatic during the last thirty years: deforestation, urbanization, green revolution, and exploitation of mineral and water resources have profoundly changed the landscape and the relationship between societies and their environment. In some areas, this intensification is such that pressing questions on sustainable modes of development arise.

 These recent changes have been accompanied by the development of space observation techniques (remote sensing) and local managements tools, including Geographic Information Systems. Several research programs have shown their potential, including the monitoring of nature-society interactions. However, the actual contribution of these new technologies is rarely the subject of comparative studies between different areas: how can they better help understand the physical and/or anthropogenic processes? how can they contribute effectively to sustainable land management (risk management , climate change adaptation , etc ...)?.

With a partnership experience of almost thirty years with Brazil (especially driven by Robert Bariou), the LETG - Rennes COSTEL team wishes to bring together a wide range of French, Brazilian and other international researchers to discuss these major scientific questions. This event marks the closing of the project USP-COFECUB Uc Sh 131/11 PICE&LEF (Politiques publiques et Impacts des Changements climatiques à l'Echelle régionale & Locale sur les Espaces Fragiles).

Vincent Dubreuil  & Neli de Mello-Théry

• nature-society interactions in France and Brazil

• Sustainable development of territories and public policies

• Landscapes Dynamics

• Risks and Geomatics

• Climate change : observations, management and impacts

• Geomatics and environmental modeling