COVPATH

Socio-ecological coviability is defined as human/nature interdependence resulting from interactions between human and non-human systems based on mutual sustainability (Barrière et al., 2019). The CovPath project proposes to implement this concept of socio-ecological coviability with a bottom-up approach, starting from local actors. It defines a paradigm for a new trajectory of sustainability under the concept of One Health. Therefore, the CovPath project will further advance the concept of coviability by involving the local actors (populations, managers, decisionmakers...) and consequently will enable an empirical understanding of the concept. Ultimately, the outcomes will serve as basis to develop a framework for a concrete implementation. Work on coviability has been federated between numerous disciplines in the humanities, ecological and mathematical sciences collectively. Coviability lies at the heart of the interrelationships of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those relating to SDG2, SDG3, SDG13, SDG15, SDG17. The network CovPath will rely on a broad representativeness of case studies starting from UNESCO designated biosphere reserves, which are model regions for sustainable development. Of the six reserves located on four continents, the research focus on an endogenous definition (from within for social acceptance) and an empirical approach to the pathway to socio-ecological coviability to prepare a guide on human/non-human interactions defining coviability. From there, the objective is to lay the foundations for extrapolation perspectives of this new trajectory of sustainability: on the one hand, by formalizing a methodology for the co-constructed and participative implementation of this trajectory and, on the other hand, by moving forward coviability modeling elements for the sustainable management and the resilience of social-ecological systems.