33

Forgetting past environmental conditions poses a serious problem by leading to the acceptance of biodiversity loss due to lack of knowledge. While this problem is well known, few articles investigate the role of past environmental memory in conservation. In this paper, using an interdisciplinary approach, we show how humans can call on their phenomenological memory to reconnect with nature. Thus, by studying the way this memory functions and the factors influencing it, we show that it influences representations and knowledge concerning the environment. Phenomenological memory could thus allow us to be aware of past environmental conditions and thus stimulate our awareness of the current crisis. Given this observation, we argue for a complementarity between institutionalized data and phenomenological memory to face the current conservation issues.