The IPBES conference in Paris in April-May 2019 raised the urgency to protect biodiversity and to understand the services it provides to human well-being. The influence of biodiversity on the multi-functionality of agro-ecosystems and their resistance to vulnerability and environmental hazards (e.g., drought and pests) has received little attention worldwide and remains totally unknown in the lower Mekong basin. In this context, ECOTERM project aims to generate major breakthroughs in the qualification and quantification of ecosystem services provided by biodiversity hotspots, which result from termite activity (i.e., the so-called termite mounds), in paddy-fields in Laos and Cambodia. The aims of the project are to: (1) Qualify and quantify the ecological functions impacted by termite mounds, in terms of soil and water dynamic, C sequestration, nutrient cycling and plant resistance to environmental hazards and yield. (2) Assess the use of termite mounds by farmers and the ecosystem services derived from their presences, in terms of incomes, food security and access to health. (3) Contribute to the emergence of sustainable agricultural practices considering the environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts of termite mounds.

Agrobiodiversité, Termites, Mekong