Biodiversity at the heart of INRAE's research: from diagnostics to solutions

Today's biodiversity, which includes the diversity of living organisms at the genetic level, species and ecosystems, is the result of evolution. It is a precious heritage and a common good that must be preserved and restored for its own sake and for the ecosystem services it supports and on which human societies depend. However, many essential elements of this biodiversity are in decline due to an intensification and multiplication of pressures, particularly those associated with human activities, sometimes aggravated by climate change.
In this context, INRAE's research addresses many natural environments and strives to better understand biodiversity and ecosystems and to mobilize knowledge to propose solutions to stop the erosion of biodiversity and promote its restoration. Researchers mobilize the numerous observation and experimentation tools as well as various INRAE infrastructures to conduct research and expertise. Find out more about INRAE's research on these subjects in this new press kit.

Contents 01. Inventory of biodiversity and natural environments 02. Biodiversity: a source of solutions 03. From knowledge to action and sustainable management of environments 04. INRAE's resources for research on and for biodiversity

Extract from the press kit

Preserving and enhancing genetic diversity

Living collections
As a manager of genetic resources for research for many years, INRAE is involved in the management of Biological Resource Centers (BRCs), a concept developed since the early 2000s to explore biodiversity in order to enhance its value without depleting it. INRAE manages or co-manages 28 BRCs as part of the national research infrastructure Ressources agronomiques pour la recherche (RARe; agrobrc-rare.org). From microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, etc.) to trees, crops, domestic animals and even soil samples, these collections make a vast diversity of genotypes available to researchers for study. INRAE participates in the exploration and preservation of biodiversity and genetic resources in the framework of national and international policies.