Jérôme holds a BSc. in Agronomy, a MSc. in Environmental Sciences from the engineering school ISARA in Lyon, France, and a MSc. in Political Sciences from Université Montesquieu in Bordeaux. Jerôme has held a number of internships and research positions in agriculture, environment and political sciences, applied to biodiversity and climate change. He worked on organic farming in Boulder, Colorado (USA), on soil ecology at IRD in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), on bovine reproduction at UNCEIA in Paris (France), on forest pests at INRA in Bordeaux (France), and on increasing deforestation awareness in Lamjung (Nepal). At CSIRO Darwin (Australia) in 2003, he wrote his Master's thesis in Environmental Science on the use of ants as a biological indicator to monitor the impact of grazing on biodiversity in Northern Australia rangelands. Following the completion of his Master's in Political Sciences, he worked at the European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium) where he participated in the development of a strategy for the conservation of biodiversity in European forests.
In 2005, Jérôme joined the Gump station in Moorea (French Polynesia) to participate in a biocontrol program targeting the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis). He was responsible for the monitoring of pest density and control agent efficiency on more than 20 French Polynesian islands. He also completed an inventory of native cicadellids, and was leading the outreach aspect of the project.
In 2007, Jérôme joined the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in Brussels where he participated in the organization of a high-level international conference on climate change and biodiversity in European overseas entities, an official event of the French Presidency of the European Union held on Réunion island (www. reunion2008.eu). He was the lead author of the background paper for this conference, a state-of-the-art 180-page book on the impact of climate change on island biodiversity, involving more than 120 contributors.
In September 2008 Jérôme headed back to the Gump Station in Moorea. He was then the Coordinator and Communications Officer of the Moorea Biocode Project, a comprehensive inventory of every non-microbial species of the island of Moorea with DNA barcoding. He was then coordinating the deployment of the taxonomical teams in Moorea and was responsible for the outreach aspect of the project. During this second period in Moorea, Jérôme was also the scientific director of the Baseline Study on Climate Change in French Polynesia, the first comprehensive document on climate change for the country funded by the Ministry of Environment of French Polynesia, following the UNFCCC outline. In this context, he was involved in the creation of the French Polynesian Climate Change Network, a platform which gathers more than 120 local experts on Climate Change. Finally, he also achieved a Carbon Budget assessment for the island of Moorea and for the city hall of Moorea-Maio, using the French Bilan Carbone methodology. This was the first Bilan Carbone study carried out in French Polynesia, and for an island in general.
Jérôme Petit works now for the European Commission in Brussels, in the Directorate General EuropeAid (the development cooperation agency for the European Union). He works as a quality management officer in the Natural Resources Unit and is the contact person for Biodiversity. He follows and participates to the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (Convention on Biological Diversity, Kyoto Protocol, etc.). He reviews the policies, programmes and projects funded by the European Commission dealing with biodiversity and climate change.
Resumé/CV
Publications in scientific journals:
Grandgirard J, Hoddle MS, Petit JN, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2009. Classical biological control of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis, by the egg parasitoid Gonatocerus ashmeadi in the Society, Marquesas and Australs archipelagos of French Polynesia. Biological Control. 48:155-163.
Petit JN, Hoddle MS, Roderick GK, Grandgirard J, Davies N. 2009. Successful spread of a biocontrol agent reveals a biosecurity failure: Elucidating long distance invasion pathways for Gonatocerus ashmeadi in French Polynesia. BioControl. Volume 54, Number 4, 485-495
Grandgirard J, Hoddle MS, Petit JN, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2008. Distribution and seasonal abundance of the invasive leafhopper Sophonia orientalis ( = S. rufofascia) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in French Polynesia. Pan Pacific Entomologist. submitted
Grandgirard J, Hoddle MS, Petit JN, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2008. Engineering an invasion: classical biological control of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, H. Biological Invasions. 10:135-148.
Petit JN, Hoddle MS, Grandgirard J, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2008. Short distance dispersal behavior and establishment of the parasitoid Gonatocerus ashmeadi (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in Tahiti: Implications for its use as a biological control agent against Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Biological Control. 45:344-352. PDF
Petit JN, Hoddle MS, Grandgirard J, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2008. Invasion dynamics of the glassy-winged sharpshooter Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in French Polynesia . Biological Invasions. 10:955-967. PDF
Grandgirard J, Hoddle MS, Triapitsyn SV, Petit JN, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2007. First records of Gonatocerus dolichocerus Ashmeadi (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), Centrodora sp. (Hymenoptera : Aphelinidae), Chaetomymar sp. and Anagrus sp.(Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in French Polynesia with notes on egg parasitism of the glassy-winged sharpshoo. Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 83:177-184.
Grandgirard J, Hoddle MS, Petit JN, Percy DM, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2007. Pre-introductory risk assessment studies for Gonatocerus ashmeadi (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) for use as a classical biological control agent against Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. Biocontrol Science and Technology. 17:809-822. PDF
Hoddle M, Grandgirard J, Petit JN, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2006. Glassy-winged sharpshooter K.O.'ed -- first round -- in French Polynesia. Biocontrol News and Information. 27:47N-49N. PDF
Grandgirard J, Hoddle MS, Roderick GK, Petit JN, Percy D, Putoa R, Garnier C, Davies N. 2006. Invasion of French Polynesia by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae): A new threat to the South Pacific. Pacific Science. 60:429-438. PDF
Jactel H, Petit JN, Piou D, Desprez-Lousteau ML. 2005. A meta-analysis of forest pest and disease response to water stress. ECOFOR Freiburg International Symposium 17-19 Novembre 2004
Books:
Petit JN & Prudent G. 2008. Climate change and biodiversity in the European Union overseas entities. IUCN, Brussels. 174 pp. PDF (French version PDF)
Other publications:
Petit JN & Avagliano E. 2010. Bilan Carbone 2009 de l'île de Moorea. Station Gump, UC Berkeley. Mairie de Moorea-Maiao. 30 pp. PDF
Petit JN & Avagliano E. 2010. Bilan Carbone 2009 de la mairie de Moorea-Maiao. UC Berkeley. Mairie de Moorea-Maiao. 60 pp.
Avagliano E & Petit JN. 2009. Etat des lieux sur les enjeux du changement climatique en Polynésie française. Ministère de l'Environnement de la Polynésie française, Direction de l'Environnement de la Polynésie française, Station Gump, UC Berkeley. 90 pp. PDF
McNeely J & Petit JN. 2008. On the front line: The EU's overseas islands battle climate change. IUCN Pan European Newsletter, Islands of Hope, Volume 16/2008. PDF (French version PDF)
Petit JN & Claridge E. 2007. Mission interdisciplinaire d'étude de l'île de Mohotani (Mars 2007), inventaire entomologique préliminaire. Université de Californie Berkeley, station Gump. Rapport réalisé pour le compte de la Direction de l’Environnement de Polynésie française. 30 pp. PDF
Petit JN, Hoddle MS, Grandgirard J, Roderick GK, Davies N. 2007. Biological control of the glassy-winged sharpshotter in French Polynesia. Factsheet. Gump station. 8 pp. PDF (French version PDF)
TV interviews:
Climate Change Baseline study's presentation to TNTV
Biocode terrestrial invertebrates inventory's presentation for TNTV
