Léa Baume
Master in biogeosciences
lea.baume@unine.ch
Field of research
In 2023, I obtained my Bachelor of Science HES-SO in Nature Management from HEPIA, Geneva. During my studies, I worked on the restoration of the Pian Secco peat bog of national importance in Ticino. This work enabled me to discover these peat ecosystems, how they function and to appreciate their beauty. I’ve been fascinated by these environments ever since. Having a particular attraction for applied research and field work, it was with great interest that I chose the following subject for my Master’s thesis, proposed by the Maison de la Tourbière in Neuchâtel: Evaluation of the success of Eriophorum vaginatum re-establishment in the context of peatland conservation and renaturation in Switzerland.
The conservation and regeneration of bogs is essential to preserve the biodiversity they harbor and their capacity to store carbon. Among the various measures applied, sheathing cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum, L.) is sometimes re-planted to heal bare and altered peat soil. Thanks to the litter of this cyperaceae, the recolonization of the environment by sphagnum mosses can then succeed and lead, in the long term, to the production of new peat. However, the re-establishment success of these cottongrass plants has been uneven, and the causes have yet to be identified.
For this study, I am under the supervision of Dr Claire Le, Dr Dylan Tatti et Dr Yvan Matthey.
