48 Hours of Urban Agriculture

Béatrice Kremer-Cochet and Gilbert Cochet are naturalists and photographers who introduced rewilding to France. Béatrice is an expert at the Regional Scientific Council for Natural Heritage and vice‑president of Forêts Sauvages; Gilbert is attached to the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle.

They present an illustrated panorama of European initiatives that document the spontaneous return of wildlife—bisons, bears, eagles, sturgeons and seals—to abandoned territories. The lecture examines examples of rewilding projects, maps their impact across ecosystems, and discusses prospects for harmonious coexistence between humans and recovering wild species.

In French.

Lionel Cavin, paleontologist and curator at the Natural History Museum of Geneva and professor of genetics and evolution at the University of Geneva, has published over 140 scientific articles and several books.

He examines de-extinction projects that aim to revive species such as the woolly mammoth, the great auk and Merck’s rhinoceros, exploring scientific methods from cloning to genetic editing. Cavin addresses the ecological arguments, ethical dilemmas and societal implications of restoring lost species rather than creating entertainment-driven attractions.

In French.

Douglas Kennedy, born in New York in 1955, is an acclaimed novelist who lives between the United States, Berlin and France. His works include L’homme qui voulait vivre sa vie and La Symphonie du hasard.

He presents the long-awaited sequel to the novel that made him famous, a tense story set in the vast Montana landscapes. The narrative examines identity, paternal abandonment and the resurfacing of secrets as a father confronts the consequences of choices made thirty years earlier.

In French.

Cécile Auberson (InfoFauna, specialist on beavers), Fabrice Delaye (grand reporter for Heidi.news with 25 years covering science), Jean Bacchetta (anthropologist, University of Neuchâtel) and Andreas Ensslin (curator at the Conservatory and Botanical Garden of Geneva, seed bank manager) offer expertise on species reintroduction and conservation.

This session presents the new Heidi.news issue on “Return to the Wild” and a roundtable examining species reintroductions across Switzerland — from beavers to bison and wild garlic. Panelists discuss scientific evidence, practical results and ethical controversies, while a photographic exhibition showcases images by Ami Vitale, Lech Wilczek and Jérémy Rico.

In French.