Professor Sébastien Brosse, a distinguished ichthyologist from the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation of Ecosystems at the University of Toulouse III in France, visits IHB on May 27, 2024. (Image by IHB)

Professor Sébastien Brosse, a distinguished ichthyologist from the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation of Ecosystems at the University of Toulouse III in France, visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to engage in an academic exchange on May 27, 2024. As part of his visit, Professor Brosse presented a lecture titled “Freshwater Fish Biodiversity Decline Due to Anthropic Activities from Global to Local Scales” to the institute’s researchers and graduate students.

In his presentation, Professor Brosse examined the impact of human activities on global freshwater fish biodiversity. He explored the changes in freshwater biodiversity through a multidimensional (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic) and multiscale (α and β diversity) approach. Additionally, Professor Brosse provided an overview of the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) technology for monitoring and conserving biodiversity, sharing several cutting-edge international case studies.

Following the lecture, Dr. XU Jun, deputy director of IHB, presented Professor Brosse with an appointment letter, officially inviting him to serve as a member of the Academic Committee of the Xiangxi River Ecosystem Research Station in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. 

Professor Sébastien Brosse is a globally recognized authority in the field of freshwater biodiversity, with over 20 years of research experience and more than 130 published articles. He has participated in over 20 international research projects across multiple countries, focusing on the response of fish diversity to human disturbances. His leadership in developing global databases on fish taxonomic and functional diversity, along with his research on how human activities alter fish community structures worldwide, has been published in leading journals such as Science, Science Advances, Nature Communications, and PNAS. Professor Brosse is also involved in numerous conservation initiatives, including the development of the IUCN Red List for freshwater fish and the delineation of protected areas in tropical rivers. 

This visit has deepened Sino-French collaboration in freshwater ecology and fish biodiversity conservation and laid a solid foundation for future cooperation between the two nations in this field.

Dr. XU Jun, deputy director of IHB, presented Professor Brosse with an appointment letter, officially inviting him to serve as a member of the Academic Committee of the Xiangxi River Ecosystem Research Station in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. (Image by IHB)