The Station - Overview

The SETE (Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station) is a Joint Research Unit of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse. It is located in the foothills of the central Pyrenees in Ariège, in Moulis, about 100km south from Toulouse.

The laboratory was first founded in 1948 to study physical and biological aspects of underground cave systems. In 2007, it was turned into an experimental ecology station, and in 2016, it became the current Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station (SETE).

Directed during this reconversion by Jean Clobert, by Michel Loreau since 2018, and now by Camille Parmesan,  it currently hosts a team of 70 researchers, technicians, administrative staff and PhD students.

The station focuses its research on exciting new developments in theoretical and experimental ecology, in particular on biodiversity, ecosystems and the interactions between human societies with a view to contributing to their long-term sustainability.