As part of our ongoing #CARDIMEDWomen series, we’re proud to present our latest interview with Marie-Caroline Vallon, Project Manager at the Regional Authority of the Sud Region in France. With a background in political science and a career dedicated to environmental sustainability, Marie-Caroline brings a unique perspective to urban planning and Nature-Based Solutions. In this conversation, she shares her journey into climate resilience, the challenges and opportunities for women in public innovation, and her vision for a more inclusive and regenerative future.
PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Can you introduce yourself Marie and your role in CARDIMED?
I’m Marie-Caroline Vallon, and I work as a project manager within the Directorate of Energy Transition and Territorial Development. My role is to support the services of this directorate in considering the impact of climate change in public policies, particularly in urban development projects funded by the Southern Region (Région Sud).
For several years, I’ve represented my local authority as a partner in various European projects. Before joining CARDIMED, I was the project manager for a LIFE project led by the Region, which focused on ecosystem services provided by nature in cities as a factor for climate change adaptation.
I often define my role as that of a facilitator or a weaver of connections and systemic analysis. Sometimes, I act like a “Jiminy Cricket” in Pinochio, the voice of conscience.
Within CARDIMED, I collaborate with teams working on the demonstrator sites at the Saint-Jérôme and Saint-Charles Campuses (Aix-Marseille University, Empan Consulting, and SEMIDE).
As a regional authority, my role is to connect various departments of the Region, especially since our authority is also a partner in the DESIRMED project and to coordinate with institutional partners to promote Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) in public policies by demonstrating their effectiveness. Later in the project, I will also engage with business clusters to build partnerships.
I work to ensure alignment between existing projects in the region and nationally, to promote complementarity.
What inspired you to pursue a career in science, sustainability, or innovation?
I come from a generalist background, having studied political science at Sciences Po. I later specialized in environmental issues and urban planning with a master’s degree. I started my career at an environmental NGO, designing environmental education programs, and then moved into local government in various roles that always connected to sustainable development.
How did you first become involved in Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and climate resilience?
This topic entered my career quite early during my time in local government. Over 25 years ago, while the term “NbS” wasn’t used yet, these approaches already existed. My political science education trained me to think holistically. Even if climate adaptation wasn’t as urgent then, I was committed to embedding sustainable resource use (land, water, energy) into the urban projects I managed or supported.
I always encouraged local governments to implement NbS, especially for managing stormwater and greening public spaces.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CARDIMED
What is your main area of work within CARDIMED?
My main role is to create networks and connections:
- Between regional and national institutions to raise awareness of the project and its results.
- With other research projects to ensure complementarity.
- Among public policies to better integrate NBS from planning to implementation.
- And, in a second phase, with the private sector to promote the tested solutions from CARDIMED.
How do you think your work contributes to climate resilience and sustainable water management?
At least, I hope it does. The urgency is real and we must change the way we think and act.
France has adopted a reference scenario of +4°C by 2100, but I don’t believe we can live at +4°C in a Mediterranean climate. I hope the expertise I bring will help shift perceptions, especially regarding water management. We must stop seeing rainwater as a threat and start valuing it as a precious resource that we need to learn to capture, store, and manage wisely.
That doesn’t mean ignoring the dangers of extreme rain events, like the floods in València or Storm Alex in France. Protective policies are necessary. But how can we design resilient urban environments that reduce flood risk through runoff management, de-sealing surfaces, and restoring nature?
One of my responsibilities, within both my institution and CARDIMED, is to embed these considerations early in project planning, including through eco-conditionality and sharing best practices.
A major barrier to NbS adoption is the lack of long-term evidence on their benefits. In that sense, CARDIMED’s demonstration component is essential.
WOMEN IN SCIENCE & INNOVATION
What challenges have you faced as a woman in this field, and how have you overcome them?
Though I’m not a scientist, I can speak to my experience as a woman in urban planning and public infrastructure, fields that are traditionally male-dominated, though that’s slowly changing.
A woman’s voice was often considered less credible than a man’s, especially in my case. I worked hard to build confidence in my voice and expertise. I also allowed myself to make mistakes and experiment, which is vital. We live in a society where failure is not accepted, especially for women, but failure is a key part of learning and improvement.
Working in groups and networks helped me overcome these challenges, because exchanging and confronting ideas builds strength and competence. Even after 30 years in this field, I still ask lots of questions. Asking questions is not ignorance, it’s curiosity. It’s how we see problems from different angles and ensure shared understanding for collective solutions.
What advice would you give to young women interested in working in sustainability, science, or innovation?
Don’t be afraid. Ask questions. Be curious. You are strong in your fields, and if you don’t know something, you will learn. Don’t let others make you doubt yourself. In areas like sustainability, women often have a sharper sense of care and a better long-term vision.
How can we encourage more women to take leadership roles in environmental and scientific projects?
In CARDIMED, many women hold leadership roles and speak with confidence and expertise. This very initiative, featuring interviews with women, is a great way to show younger women that there is space for them.
We also need to boost communication efforts that counter stereotypes. In France, for instance, the comic book series “Culottées” by Pénélope Bagieu, featuring women who shaped their own destiny, has had a strong impact.
VISION & FUTURE GOALS
What are your hopes for the future of NBS and climate adaptation in Europe and beyond?
That we move from demonstration to widespread adoption, from experimentation to standard practice. And that NbS are no longer seen as additional costs, but as short-, medium-, and long-term savings.
One major issue is shifting practices among city stakeholders so that NbS are included at the beginning of projects, not added on at the end. This requires training across the entire chain of public and private actors.
NbS must be institutionalized in urban planning tools and become central to development and economic policies. Regenerative economy models rely heavily on NbS.
How do you see the role of women evolving in science and environmental innovation?
More and more women are leading research programs or taking part in climate negotiations. Just to name a few: Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Laurence Tubiana, Emma Haziza, Christiana Figueres.
According to the She Figures report, in many European countries, women make up nearly 50% of researchers, especially in life sciences, ecology, geography, and social sciences. Yet their presence in these fields is relatively recent.
In France, for example, women were first allowed to practice architecture in the 19th century, but it wasn’t until 1968 that architecture schools opened to women and today they represent 60% of students.
In the scientific committee of AMU that supports the French CARDIMED demonstrator, women are largely in the majority.
This reflects positive progress toward gender parity and a holistic, transdisciplinary, and place-based approach, where women are very active, and in my opinion, highly competent. Women often bring collaborative, sensitive, and integrated perspectives, with strong ties to local knowledge and its transmission. They have a key role to play in building a just and sustainable future.
If you could change one thing in the way we approach sustainability, what would it be?
We need to stop placing humans at the center of life on Earth as if we were separate from or above it.
We are just one part of the living world. By moving beyond this anthropocentric, top-down model, from man to woman, from human to nature and we can build a more respectful future for the planet and all its communities.
