Yves has been involved in Woodcock research for nearly 25 years. He completed his PhD in Zoology at the University of Montpellier, France and has been working for the Office national de la chasse et de la faune sauvage in France since 1981, where he is in charge of woodcock and snipe research. His research concentrates on the monitoring of these quarry species, and to this end, he has initiated and participated in the development of woodcock and snipe research in Central and Eastern Europe, mainly in Russia. He has also initiated and taken part in woodcock research in collaboration with European Universities and Research Centres focused on more specific topics like their behaviour in wintering grounds, population dynamics and genetics. Finally, an important part of this work is feed back to official organisations, naturalists and hunter associations through reports, papers and books.

Since 2002, Yves has been the Chair of the Woodcock and Snipe Specialist Group (WSSG).This Group aims to provide up-to-date knowledge on the eight woodcock and 18 snipe species in the world, as well as encouraging new research and facilitating contacts between researchers. The WSSG also plays the role of a platform for biologists, conservationists and wildlife managers interested in woodcock and snipe to share and exchange information. As these are game species, the final objective is to ensure their sustainable use. At the moment, most research activities are carried out in Europe and North America. In the future, special efforts will be made to improve knowledge of the African, South American and Asian species.