Lecture series - Dive into an ocean of knowledge

9am - 9.30am
Kahina MEZIANI, Managing Director of Société Guyanaise des Eaux - Fête de la Science Ambassador

"Digital Revolution in Water Management
Technological advances, in particular remote metering, are transforming drinking water management. This conference presents a practical example. The new water meter management system makes it possible to monitor water consumption in real time, optimise resource management and improve customer service.

9.30am - 10am
Margot OBERLIS, Member of the Water Coalition - French Red Cross

"The Right to Water: New Rules to Ensure Universal Access
Since 2014, the call to recognise access to water as a human right has grown in importance, with the validation of this citizens' initiative by the European Commission. In 2020, a European directive on drinking water was published and, in 2022, it was incorporated into French law. This legislation requires local authorities to identify areas without sufficient access to drinking water and to propose solutions to improve access within three years. The conference will present these decisive regulatory developments and explain the key role of the Water Coalition and the resources available to help local authorities in their mission.

10 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.
Gérald LACOMBE, Manager of ETiage Guyane

"Green sanitation in tropical environments: advantages and innovative applications".
Planted filters, which are used to treat wastewater, have been the subject of experimental research in French Guiana for the past fifteen years, with the aim of adapting their sizing and the choice of plants. Thanks to the wealth of biomass in our territory, planted filters offer exceptional yields while remaining robust. This conference will explain how these ecological systems work, and explore the prospects for the expansion of planted wastewater treatment in French Guiana, from coastal areas to the most isolated sites.

Break
10.30am - 10.45am

10.45am - 11.15am
Ollivier TAMARIN, University Professor, Director of UMR Espace pour le Développement - University of Guyana

"A first in Amazonia: innovative biosensors to monitor water quality".
Water quality is crucial to human health, especially in sensitive regions such as the Amazon, a reservoir of biodiversity and fresh water. In the face of growing environmental pressures, it is essential to develop effective methods for monitoring and preserving this vital resource. This conference will present the advances made by the "Espace pour le Développement" Joint Research Unit, which has developed a unique technology for monitoring water quality in a real environment. These innovative biochemical sensors offer practical solutions for accurate and extensive monitoring in the Amazon environment, with the potential to be replicated across the whole of South America.

11.15 a.m. - 11.45 a.m.
Margot OBERLIS, Project Manager, French Red Cross

"Access to water in informal settlements in and around Cayenne
A survey conducted between May and July 2023 by the French Red Cross's Mobile Health and Environment Team (EMSE) examined the practices of residents of Cayenne's informal settlements in relation to water, hygiene and sanitation. The study revealed the health risks associated with insalubrity and local coping strategies for accessing water. The results have led to a more inclusive policy for access to water, combining targeted interventions and a support project for home water treatment in these neighbourhoods, aimed at reducing the risks and improving the living conditions of the inhabitants.

11.45 a.m. - 12.15 p.m.
Mylène DANGLADES, Senior Lecturer in Regional Languages and Cultures at the UR MINEA - University of French Guyana

"The Aquatic Imagination: Between Reality and Fiction in Amazonia
Representations of water are shaped by a complex combination of events, perceptions and personal knowledge accumulated since childhood. These aquatic images manifest themselves in a variety of forms, often imprecise and shifting, reflecting an interplay between isolation, flux and experimentation. By examining the boundaries between natural spaces and imagined territories, this talk explores how water influences human destinies, between tangible reality and reverie. Through Micheline Hermine's novel Les iguanes du temps, the talk analyses how water, omnipresent in the work, serves as a mirror for the characters, offering a rich and varied vision of the sea's expanse. Water thus becomes a symbol of renewal and cultural identity in the Amazonian context, revealing the dynamics between dream and reality in this region.

Lunch break
12.15pm-2pm

2pm - 2.30pm
Marie-Claire NEWTON, Education Manager and Storyteller - SEPANGUY

"The world of Manman Dilo
Manman Dilo, an emblematic figure in traditional tales, embodies wisdom and respect for water and aquatic ecosystems. This conference explores how stories featuring Manman Dilo and other legendary characters convey essential values of water conservation and influence attitudes and behaviour towards water resources.

2.30pm - 3pm
Guillaume BRUNIER, Coastal risk research engineer, scientific manager of the Guiana Coastal Dynamics Observatory (ODyC) at the French Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM)

"French Guiana's coastline: one of the most unstable systems in the world
The coastline of French Guiana, and indeed of the Guianas (Surinam, Guyana), is made up of low-lying land, close to current sea level and extremely unstable. Shoreline fluctuations on mangrove coasts can reach several tens to hundreds of metres per year! The coastline has been built up and is constantly evolving under the influence of mud banks, and the beaches of Cayenne, Rémire-Montjoly, Kourou and Awala-Yalimapo have been affected by numerous phases of erosion and marine submersion over recent decades. This lecture explains how this coastline functions, threatened by rising sea levels in the context of climate change.

3pm - 3.30pm
Simon CLAVIER, Director of the Onikha design office

"Freshwater aquatic invertebrates: diversity and bioindicator potential
Freshwater aquatic invertebrates are highly diversified in France, but are still little known. Their role as ecological sentinels makes them invaluable for monitoring the impact of human activities and the consequences of environmental change.

3.30 pm - 4.15 pm
- Marine BRESTEAUX, Climate Change Research Engineer - Météo France
- Pierre Cazelles, Head of the Energy Transition Department, Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (French Guiana Regional Authority)

"Climate change in French Guiana: future projections and adaptation plans for the region".
This conference begins with an introduction to climate change, followed by an examination of its specific effects on French Guiana's climate, including temperature increases and variations in rainfall. The results of the Guyaclimat study will then be presented, with detailed projections up to 2100 of future climate change in the region. The conference will close with a presentation on the development of the regional climate change adaptation plan, with a view to providing French Guiana with an operational roadmap by 2025.

Closing of the conference cycle
4.15pm - 4.30pm