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event From 19 July 2026 to 24 July 2026 Yaoundé

One Forest Vision is strengthening its collaboration with OFAC to build public infrastructure for the sharing of scientific data

As part of the Platform pillar of One Forest Vision (OFVi), a scientific mission took place in Yaoundé from 19 to 24 July 2026 to continue the pre-feasibility study into public infrastructure for sharing scientific data on the forests and wetlands of the Congo Basin. Led by Pearl Winchester (IRD – Data Terra), the mission aimed to strengthen dialogue with the Central African Forest Observatory (OFAC), COMIFAC and several institutional partners in order to jointly develop a shared vision for environmental data governance.
event 16 July 2026 Libreville, Gabon

Science and diplomacy at the Raponda Walker Arboretum for a ‘Walk & Talk’ focusing on tropical forests

On 16 July 2026, the One Forest Vision initiative and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) organised the first Gabonese edition of a Walk & Talk at the Raponda Walker Arboretum. For the course of a morning, researchers, PhD students, diplomats and conservation practitioners left the meeting rooms to engage in direct discussions in the field, in the heart of one of Gabon’s main protected areas.
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event From 06 July 2026 to 13 July 2026 Likouala-Mossaka, in the north of the Republic of the Congo

The MOUNDS and RACINES projects: how ancient societies shaped the forests and wetlands of the Congo Basin

In May 2026, the MOUNDS* and RACINES** projects, supported by the One Forest Vision initiative and the French Embassy’s BGF-SCAC programme***, carried out a three-week scientific mission in the Likouala-Mossaka region, in the north of the Republic of the Congo. This field campaign, involving researchers from several disciplines, aimed to gain a better understanding of the long-standing interactions between human societies and the forest and wetland ecosystems of the Congo Basin. At the heart of the research were raised fields – impressive agricultural structures built to enable cultivation in areas subject to seasonal flooding. These structures, some of which may date back more than 800 years, bear witness to a human and environmental history far more complex than previously imagined.
event From 22 June 2026 to 26 June 2026 CNRS CAES in Aussois (Savoie, France)

Forest & People Summer Institute: a week dedicated to building the interdisciplinary collaborations of the future

Supported by the One Forest Vision (OFVi) initiative, the 2026 edition of the Forest & People Summer Institute, organised by François Libois (PSE and INRAE) at the Paul-Langevin Centre of the CAES (CNRS) in Aussois (Savoie), brought together around sixty researchers and PhD students from universities and research institutes around the world for a week. From Duke University to the University of São Paulo, via Marien Ngouabi University, the University of Namur and several French and European national research organisations, this summer school fostered fruitful exchanges between scientific communities with complementary areas of expertise.
article

02 July 2026

By: Nicolas Barbier, Elise Thollet-Augier

Nicolas Barbier, Research Director at the French National Research Institute for Development (IRD) and a member of the AMAP Joint Research Unit in Montpellier

Nicolas Barbier is a Research Director at the French National Research Institute for Development (IRD) and a member of the AMAP Joint Research Unit in Montpellier. His work focuses on the functioning, dynamics and monitoring of tropical forests at various scales, from the individual leaf and tree up to landscapes and continents. Working at the interface between ecology, remote sensing and modelling, he develops innovative approaches to better understand how tropical forests respond to climate change and human pressures.
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Group photo of the Pl@ntNet training session at the INERA research station in the Luki Biosphere Reserve, Kongo Central, April 2026
event From 11 Apr. 2026 to 21 Apr. 2026 Democratic Republic of the Congo

First training session at Pl@ntNet in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

As part of the One Forest Vision initiative, the first training session on the use of the Pl@ntNet app in the Democratic Republic of the Congo took place from 11 to 21 April 2026. Thanks to logistical support from the Regional Postgraduate School for Integrated Management of Tropical Forests and Lands (ERAIFT) and the National Institute for Agronomic Study and Research (INERA), Daniel Barthélémy from CIRAD and Murielle Simo-Droissart from IRD delivered five one-day training sessions in the provinces of Kinshasa and Kongo-Central.
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event From 31 Mar. 2026 to 01 Apr. 2026 Kinshasa

Kinshasa: an inaugural OFVi scientific co-creation workshop to establish priorities in the DRC

On 31 March and 1 April 2026, the One Forest Vision (OFVi) initiative organised a scientific co-creation workshop in Kinshasa, bringing together more than 60 participants, including around 40 who took part in thematic round-table discussions. Over the course of two days, researchers, technical experts and Congolese and international institutions worked collectively to identify scientific priorities for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The aim of this workshop was clear: to transform the discussions into a concrete roadmap, structured around the scientific needs expressed by national stakeholders.
event From 24 Mar. 2026 to 30 Apr. 2026 Libreville / La Lopé (Gabon)

GEO-TREES / One Forest Vision project: from the field to data, improving the measurement of forest carbon in the Congo Basin

As part of Pillar 1, ‘Carbon and Biodiversity’, of One Forest Vision, around twenty Gabonese and international experts gathered in Libreville for the launch of the GEO-TREES Gabon mission. Launched on 24 March 2026 with the arrival of a team of scientists from the CRBE (Centre for Research on Biodiversity and the Environment) and the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) — including Jérôme Chave, Nicolas Labrière, Joseph Foé Mba and Ayala Loisel — this mission aims to produce baseline data, combining forest inventories and lidar technologies, in order to improve estimates of carbon stocks in the forests of the Congo Basin.
event From 03 Mar. 2026 to 10 Mar. 2026 Gabon

Archaeological and archaeobotanical expedition in Gabon: understanding the human history of the forests of the Congo Basin

From 5 February to 10 March 2026, a research mission took place in Gabon as part of the ANR Rainforstory project, in conjunction with the One Forest Vision (OFVi) initiative. This mission, led in particular by Louis Champion (IRD) and Geoffroy De Saulieux (IRD), archaeologist and coordinator of the RACINES project, illustrates the gradual integration of the humanities and social sciences (HSS) within OFVi.
event From 02 Mar. 2026 to 09 Mar. 2026 Mbalmayo – Cameroon

Understanding the growth of tropical forests: 2nd scientific expedition to the Mbalmayo super-site

In March 2026, a team from the AMAP laboratory (University of Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, CNRS), supported by the One Forest Vision initiative and the European Biodiversa+ Coforfunc project, and with the backing of the IRD’s Central African office, conducted a two-week scientific mission to the Mbalmayo forest super-site, situated on the banks of the Nyong River in Cameroon. This site, situated in a forest reserve near Yaoundé, is one of the main study sites for tropical forests in Central Africa. It is particularly valuable as it combines long-term ecological monitoring (permanent forest inventory plots), drone observations and detailed ecophysiological measurements of trees. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
event 12 February 2026 Libreville

Workshop on collective intelligence for scientific data on forests and wetlands in Gabon

From 8 to 14 February 2026, One Forest Vision (OFVi) supported a strategic mission in Libreville dedicated to the co-construction of public infrastructure for sharing scientific data on forests and wetlands.
event 12 February 2026 Brazzaville

Launch ceremony for six OFVi thesis projects in Congo

On 12 February 2026, the French Institute of Congo in Brazzaville hosted the official launch ceremony for six thesis projects supported by the One Forest Vision (OFVi) initiative and co-financed by the French Embassy in the Republic of Congo.
Formation à l’utilisation de l’application Pl@ntNet Gabon (1).jpg
event From 21 Jan. 2026 to 30 Jan. 2026 Franceville - Libreville

Second Pl@ntNet field mission in Gabon: documenting the flora in the heart of the Congo Basin

Following an initial training session held in May 2025 in Libreville, which launched the Pl@ntNet initiative in Gabon as part of the One Forest Vision, a new field mission took place in January 2026. From the Ipassa research station to the Masuku University of Science and Technology in Franceville, this second phase consolidated the knowledge acquired, expanded the user community and strengthened the documentation of Gabonese flora thanks to significant scientific and educational mobilisation.
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event From 07 Jan. 2026 to 09 Jan. 2026 Brazzaville

One Forest Vision attends the 1st annual Congo Basin Futures conference in Brazzaville

From 7 to 9 January 2026, Brazzaville hosted the first annual Congo Basin Futures conference, organised by the Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI). This inaugural event brought together the scientific community of the Congo Basin. The One Forest Vision (OFVi) initiative played an active role, confirming its role as a link between scientific research, training for young researchers and regional cooperation.
event From 01 Dec. 2025 to 12 Dec. 2025 Brazzaville, Congo

Capacity building in radar and optical remote sensing: 27 students trained in Brazzaville

The Remote Sensing and Forest Ecology Laboratory at the École Normale Supérieure, with the support of Initiative One Forest Vision (OFVi), has organized the sixth edition of the Radar and Optical Remote Sensing School (ETRO) 2025 from December 1 to 12, 2025, at the Francophone Digital Campus of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) on the site of the École Normale Supérieure in Brazzaville.
event From 23 Nov. 2025 to 24 Nov. 2025 Libreville

Presidential visit to France–Gabon: One Forest Vision participates in the Science/Forests Sequence

On 24 November 2025, as part of French President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to Libreville, a high-level meeting dedicated to the forests of the Congo Basin was held at Baie des Rois. Entitled ‘Forests of the Congo Basin: review and prospects for the joint commitments of Gabon, France and their partners,’ this meeting brought together nearly 300 experts, researchers, scientists, and institutional and government representatives, confirming the strategic role of the Congo Basin in the global climate response.
event From 10 Nov. 2025 to 18 Nov. 2025 Belém, Brazil

One Forest Vision delegation at COP 30: stronger presence to represent the voice of tropical basins

A delegation from the One Forest Vision initiative took part in a dozen events between November 10 and 18, 2025, in Belém in the context of the COP to represent the voice of the Congo Basin and strengthen inter-basin synergies between the Amazon, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia/Oceania.
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event From 31 Oct. 2025 to 06 Nov. 2025 Iaraçu, Brazil

Iaraçu Scientific Caravan – the Congo Basin in dialogue with the Amazon

After five days of sailing between Santarém and Belém, the Iaraçu scientific and river caravan reached its destination, concluding an exceptional journey dedicated to scientific and environmental cooperation in the heart of the Amazon. A delegation from One Forest Vision took part to represent the voice of the Congo Basin and strengthen inter-basin synergies between the Amazon, Central Africa and South-East Asia.
Theoretical phase of training at Makerere University's field biology station in Kanyawara, October 15, 2025
event From 09 Oct. 2025 to 16 Oct. 2025 Ouganda

First training course at Pl@ntNet in Uganda

The first training session on how to use the Pl@ntNet app took place in Uganda from October 9 to 16, 2025. Five one-day training sessions were given by Daniel Barthélémy from CIRAD and Murielle Simo-Droissart from IRD.
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event From 06 Oct. 2025 to 09 Oct. 2025 Brazzaville

Capacity Building in Data Analysis: 20 Young Researchers Trained on R Software in Brazzaville

From 7 to 9 October 2025, Brazzaville hosted an intensive data analysis training workshop on the R software, designed for twenty young researchers from Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Organized at the King Maya Hotel, the workshop was part of a joint effort led by the One Forest Vision (OFVi) initiative and the Central African Forests Research Network (R2FAC), with essential support from the French Embassy in Congo.
event 25 September 2025 Montpellier

One Forest Vision Annual Seminar – September 2025

On September 25, 2025, the One Forest Vision (OFVi) initiative held its annual seminar on the Lavalette campus of CIRAD in Montpellier. The event brought together more than 100 participants, including around thirty who joined remotely from Gabon, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The day was marked by rich scientific discussions, field experience feedback, and strategic reflections on the preservation of the Congo Basin’s tropical forests.
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