First meeting of the BRIDGES Scientific and Operational Committee for Mayotte

First meeting of the BRIDGES Scientific and Operational Committee for Mayotte

On June 6, 2026, the Dembéni Technopole hosted the first meeting of the Mayotte Scientific and Operational Site Committee (CSO). Bringing together scientific partners working on fisheries and biodiversity, this committee aims to strengthen scientific collaboration and coordinate activities with ongoing initiatives across the territory.

BRIDGES activities already underway (November 2025-June 2026)

Several BRIDGES activities took place in Mayotte between November 2025 and June 2026:

The first field school for students from the University of Mayotte and the University of La Réunion, on island socio-ecosystems, from 3 to 8 November 2025.
The launch of the Institutional Site Committee (CIS) on 17 November 2025
BRIDGES x Data Terra training on FAIR, ethical and sustainable data management (13 participants), as well as an open seminar on research data management, from 30 March to 3 April 2026.
A co-construction workshop bringing together 26 participants to develop a shared assessment and identify pathways for transformation, on 3 and 4 June 2026.
The launch of the co-construction process for the BRIDGES observatory in February 2026: gathering expectations and needs, updating information on existing observation systems, and identifying new partnerships for the local coordination of observations.

Spotlight on the Mayotte Co-construction Workshop

During the first half of 2026, BRIDGES organised co-construction workshops at each of its study sites. At each site, these workshops brought together participants representing different stakeholder groups central to the issues addressed by BRIDGES.

Their purpose is to create a space for dialogue and knowledge sharing, develop a shared assessment of management challenges in each territory, and collectively consider transformations for the years ahead. The results of these workshops will help guide the programme’s scientific work over the following year.

The Mayotte workshop was held in Dembéni on 3 and 4 June 2026 and brought together around 30 participants. It is intended to be repeated over the next two years and to support the establishment of local thematic working groups.

Ongoing and upcoming activities

Many cross-cutting activities or activities specifically concerning Mayotte are currently under development or planned in the short and medium term.

Development of a joint Mayotte-Reunion Island master’s degree, led by the University of Mayotte. The programme proposal is due to be submitted in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the programme expected to open in 2027.
Selection of six PhD projects related to Mayotte via the call for thesis clusters #1, and ongoing recruitment of PhD students, for a start no later than October 2026.
Matteo Le Floc’h’s internship, running until the end of August 2026, within BRIDGES RESILIENCE at UMR MARBEC, supervised by Emmanuel Tessier and Lionel Pawlowski: development of a tool to assess the vulnerability of fisheries resources in Mayotte and La Réunion, incorporating species’ biological traits, fishing pressures and knowledge gaps. This work aims to produce an operational risk-assessment prototype that can support the prioritisation of management and conservation measures within BRIDGES and potentially be extended to all the programme’s territories.
Gabriela Castano Pinilla’s internship, from January to June 2026 within BRIDGES RESILIENCE at UMR ENTROPIE and supervised by Adrien Comte, Stéphanie D’Agata, Georgeta Stoica and Matthieu Le Duff: investigation of how long-term perspectives are incorporated into the implementation of public policies in Mayotte, in the context of post-Cyclone Chido reconstruction. The internship included interviews in Mayotte with institutional and local actors
Development of the catalogue of digital resources and the mapping of actors, available and updated regularly
Development of carbon and environmental impact assessment methods
Organisation of a regional workshop on the observatory (La Réunion, 15–17 September 2026), to define a harmonised observation strategy at the regional level and a minimum common base of key observables.
BRIDGES x SIOMPA training (marine connectivity – September 2026, South Africa).
Training for BRIDGES PhD students (marine socio-ecosystems – December 2026, Reunion Island). Modeling training planned for 2027
BRIDGES Days (2 and 3 December 2026, Reunion Island)
Monthly webinars (every second Tuesday of the month)

Spotlight on PhD Cluster #1

The 10 PhD students of the 2026 PhD Cluster have been selected and are currently being recruited. 6 subjects are related to Mayotte, 2 of which are located at least partly on the island:

BRIDGHEAT, co-supervised by Alexandre Ganachaud (IRD), Aurore Receveur (IRD) and Rakamaly Madi Moussa (University of Mayotte).

COASTAL, co-supervised by Elliott Sucré (University of Mayotte), Héloïse Rouzé (IRD) and Emmanuel Corse (University of Mayotte

Research projects related to BRIDGES

Several ongoing and upcoming research projects contribute directly to the objectives of BRIDGES in Mayotte.

BioEOS (funded by CNES and the DEAL of Reunion Island): develop observation tools based mainly on satellite images, to characterize the spatio-temporal dynamics of coastal biodiversity, map changes, produce indicators to report on its status and improve conservation measures (seagrass, coral and bathymetry). A sampling campaign took place in Mayotte from 25 May to 5 June 2026, in partnership with BRIDGES RESILIENCE, and coordinated by Touria Bajjouk and Aline Aubry.
PLASMA (2022-2026, funded by the Mayotte Marine Natural Park): studying microplastic pollution in the lagoon of Mayotte, its dispersal and accumulation dynamics, as well as its effects on marine ecosystems. Thesis in progress by Hugo Julia, under the supervision of Christèle Chevallier, whose work contributes to hydrodynamic modelling and the production of impact risk maps.
CORCOMA : associative project, in conjunction with the University of Mayotte and the IRD, aimed at developing a long-term observatory of coral reefs on the outer slope of 0–120 m, with a second station in the south of the island by the end of the year.
MAMACO (2024-2027, funded by Interreg Mayotte, coordinated by Pascal Bach, then by Mariana Tolotti-Travassos from 2027): to better understand the practices of formal artisanal fishers in Madagascar, Comoros and Mayotte, via a participatory approach, and to co-construct with solutions for the sustainable management of marine resources. In Mayotte, the project focuses specifically on canoe fisheries.
Yoluène Massey’s PhD research (CNRS, Marbec, 2024–2027, under the supervision of Joahnn Mourier and Catherine Sabinot): studying the interactions between artisanal fisheries and elasmobranchs in the Comoros, Mayotte and northern Madagascar, in a context of strong decline of these species and lack of data. The thesis aims to cross-reference local knowledge and scientific knowledge to better understand their diversity, vulnerability, evolution and place in communities, in order to identify biocultural indicators useful for their monitoring and conservation.
COEXISTENCE (2024-2027, funded by ANR SIOMPA, coordinated by Paul Tixier, Johann Mourier and Quentin Schull): studying conflicts between fisheries and marine megafauna, in particular sharks and odontocetes, in the western Indian Ocean, in order to better understand their ecological, social and economic mechanisms. Through a transdisciplinary approach, the project aims to propose sustainable solutions for coexistence, in particular through the adaptation of fishing practices and the improvement of spatial management measures.
Marie Lesniak’s PhD research (2025-2027, CNRS 80PRIME, UMR LETG, under the supervision of Brice Trouillet, Matthieu Noucher and Damien Arvor): questioning the capacity of global environmental monitoring platforms, such as Global Fishing Watch or Global Forest Watch, to respond to local issues and to dialogue with local knowledge, particularly in the fields of marine fisheries and forests.
Ambre Rioux’s PhD research (start scheduled for the 3rd quarter of 2026, ENS, UMR LETG, under the supervision of Brice Trouillet) . Theme: surveillance studies, applied to maritime fisheries, with (among others) a Mayotte/sub-regional field; on fisheries data, oriented towards VMS data and the question of “sousveillance”.

Participants in the first meeting of the Mayotte CSO

On site:

Cyrielle Jac, Mayotte Marine Natural Park
David Lorieux, Céta’Maoré
Dimitri Theuerkauff, University of Mayotte
Elliott Sucré, University of Mayotte and BRIDGES local scientific referent for Mayotte
Héloïse Rouzé, IRD and BRIDGES RESILIENCE
Matthieu Jeanson, University of Mayotte and BRIDGES OBSERVATION
Quentin Schull, Ifremer and BRIDGES RESILIENCE
Rodolphe Devillers, IRD, BRIDGES focal point for Mayotte and BRIDGES IMPACT

Online:

Auriane Serval, Naturalists of Mayotte
Camille Gall, CNRS, BRIDGES
Esmeralda Longépée, University of Paris 1 and BRIDGES OBSERVATION
Sarah Bareigts, CNRS and support for the coordination of the Mayotte site for BRIDGES
Winchel F Norzeus, CNRS, BRIDGES

Excused: