Integrated management and adaptation of pearl farming industry in french polynesia in the glabal change context: environmental, economic and social approach – POLYPERL

In 30 years, pearl culture has become one of the most important industries in French Polynesia. However, this industry, which is based on the exploitation of a single cultivated species, the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera, is currently undergoing an unprecedented crisis. POLYPERL project will develop an integrated and participative action research of the pearl oyster culture system, focusing on the environmental, technological, economical and societal dimensions impacting the industry and going beyond of the solely private profitability of farms. For that purpose, POLYPERL is a project taking into account a set of research topics applied to pearl culture, from the understanding of biological processes to socio-economic drivers relating to pearl farming and integrating risk management (anthropic, sanitary and climatic risks). To broaden the range of technological, economic and social solutions that can guarantee viable pearl culture on the long term, the goal of POLYPERL is to improve our knowledge of the pearl oyster and of pearl aquaculture, at the scale of French Polynesia, though an interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholders approach favouring the development of new knowledge on ecology, physiology, animal husbandry, genetics, physics, modelling, economics, social sciences, epidemiology, etc. The project offers the dual interests of scientific advancement and applied innovations: on one hand it will enable knowledge of the species and its culture to be broadened; on the other it will provide innovations and decision-making tools in view of sustainable and integrated management of pearl culture in French Polynesia. The project, whose objective is to enlarge the range of technological, economic and social solutions in order to guarantee viable pearl culture, is organised in four parts: (1) Characterization of the resource, the pearl oyster P. margaritifera, its genetic diversity, functionning and structure, so as to ensure the viability of its production; (2) Development of tools and methods to improve the eco-efficiency of the pearl farming industry; (3) Sustainability and governance; and (4) dissemination, transfer and promotion of the knowledge. This project, bringing together 10 partners (institutional, industrial and non gouvernemental organization) partners, is scheduled to run for a period of 3 years.