Biodiversity at TotalEnergies: portrait of a researcher

TotalEnergies is a leading player in the energy transition, and places sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations. The Company pledges its support to contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) including those related to conserving biodiversity. The logic underpinning actions is first, to avoid, then reduce the impact if the action cannot be avoided and, as a last resort, offset our impacts if necessary. To conserve biodiversity wherever we operate and throughout the entire lifetime of our facilities, we rely upstream on Research and Development. Thomas Merzi is a researcher in Pau, working in OneTech, a mainstay of the TotalEnergies transformation. He explains his career to date and his enthusiasm for working to find innovative solutions.

Your job at TotalEnergies is Biodiversity R&D leader. What has your career in the Company been like so far?

After studying biology, I specialized in ecology, and did a masters in biodiversity, ecology and environment. I studied the evolution of species at The University of Virginia and finalized my studies at the University of Grenoble, where I studied population genomics. Back then, I was more focused on the ecosystem protection and conservation sphere, through associations, city halls or conservatories. Then I did some international volunteering work as an environmental engineer in the Mahakam delta, for the TotalEnergies affiliate in Indonesia. That experience taught me that I had a role to play to protect biodiversity in the industrial world. I was then assigned to the TotalEnergies affiliate in Angola as an environmental engineer and, when I went back to France at the end of 2013, I worked on ecotoxicological risk analyses for the Company’s E&P affiliates, where I was responsible for studies to model risk assessments and all the environmental monitoring campaigns on E&P sites. In summer 2019, Thomas joined the R&D team, where he coordinates R&D actions on environmental genomics and biodiversity.

We always think of researchers as people in white lab coats, whereas you look more like a man who works on site. What is a typical day like for you?

It’s quite varied actually, we work on a lot of different environmental subjects and issues. What I like is being on the lookout for new subjects and innovative concepts - we also have a role in technological and scientific watch to make sure that we are always at the forefront of new developments. I’ve been lucky enough to work with many different academic partners who are world references in their specialty, and that’s really stimulating! I also interact on a daily basis with all the Company projects and activities worldwide, to test, innovate on the marvelous playgrounds our sites offer us, in a wide range of environments and varied ecosystems. I’m also lucky to work with amazing, fascinating colleagues who are passionate about what they do. Camille Cabanne specializes in marine ecology - she joined the Company last year and lends her skills to research on a daily basis to develop in-house practices and ensure nature conservation.

The Company is announcing tangible solutions to control its impacts on biodiversity. Are those promises to be taken seriously?

Well, to start with, we have an R&D section entirely dedicated to biodiversity! Loss of biodiversity owing to human activity is the sixth mass extinction in history. Faced with this crisis, TotalEnergies has decided to dedicate more human and financial resources to R&D, to support biodiversity. We are determined to improve our understanding of the challenges, evaluate the interactions with the ecosystems where we operate, measure the potential impact of our actions and induce positive gains in biodiversity. Our roadmap also comprises definite milestones. It includes running a watch to identify new technologies in biodiversity, have new field tools to map the biodiversity on our sites, and develop new tools to assess, model and anticipate the impacts of our activities. We can then run effective monitoring programs and continuously improve the pertinence of our actions. Our partnership with the CEN (French Natural Areas Conservatory) Nouvelle Aquitaine is one example.

Remind us briefly of the purpose of the partnership with the CEN?

TotalEnergies’ activities can generate a risk of impacting the environment surrounding our sites. I direct research that involves finding innovative solutions to prevent and reduce such impacts. The aim is to develop techniques adapted to the frequent monitoring of the ecological quality and variation over time of the environments in which we operate, to monitor the trends on site in the long term. The Vallon du Manas site in Ger, a town located between Pau and Tarbes in South West France, has a wide variety of habitats. It is managed and maintained by the CEN Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and that’s why we created a research partnership in 2019. Every year, the Biodiversity team and the CEN monitor the species in the different habitats to test the pertinence and complementarity of the different approaches, and introduce new monitoring techniques whenever possible.

You work for a Company that is present in over 100 countries worldwide. Is living in the Béarn region a stroke of luck?

I’m actually from Pau! I’m the local guy in the team. I did my studies in Grenoble, then went on to gain experience abroad - a year studying in the United States, then expatriation in Indonesia and Angola. I’ve worked several assignments abroad in the different jobs I have had, to coordinate and supervise ecological status monitoring campaigns in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and so on. Being back in my native region today is a real stroke of luck. My job is fascinating and I’m lucky to work with the leading international specialists. I take part in conferences and work groups that help me stay at the cutting edge of current scientific knowledge in my sector, while enjoying an exceptional quality of life. Our offices at the CSTJF and the quality of life in Pau are undeniable assets, and help me continue to move forward professionally, and take advantage of the mountains and the ocean to recharge my batteries and stay connected to nature.

Watch the video of the operations on the Manas site here.

• Find out more about environmental DNA at TotalEnergies here.