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

1. Fostering dialogue between disciplines to gain a better understanding of forests

Economists, lawyers, archaeobotanists, ecologists and remote-sensing experts shared their approaches to gaining a better understanding of the interactions between human societies and forest ecosystems. The presentations illustrated the diversity of the research being carried out, ranging from analyses of the structure, biodiversity and carbon stocks of forest peatlands in the Cuvette and Likouala departments, to issues of governance, conservation and the sustainable management of forest resources.

2. Observing biodiversity in real-world conditions

As well as the lectures, the Summer Institute also placed great emphasis on fieldwork. In particular, participants helped to set up camera traps in the Vanoise National Park before returning 24 hours later to view the first images captured. This hands-on experience provided an opportunity to discuss wildlife monitoring methods, whilst illustrating how field observations, new technologies and scientific analysis complement one another.

Throughout the week, lectures, workshops, field trips and informal discussions enabled participants to compare their methods, enrich their analyses and foster new scientific collaborations. This dynamic fully illustrates the ambition of the One Forest Vision Initiative: to foster dialogue between disciplines in order to generate an integrated understanding of tropical forests.

3. Walk & Talk: research on the move

To round off the week, researchers in the humanities and social sciences involved in the ONF Forest Vision Initiative came together for a ‘Walk and Talk’, alternating between 10-minute presentations and 15-minute walks. This format encouraged spontaneous and interactive discussions, a far cry from traditional academic presentations.

4. Humanities and social sciences: understanding the relationship between forests and societies

This session enabled various social sciences and humanities researchers to present the progress of their work on the Congo Basin. For example, Patrick Massimba Lola, a Congolese researcher based at Marien N’Gouabi University, presented aspects of his FRUFOSAC project on the sustainable management of wild forest fruit trees in the Congo. Daniel Perron, for his part, discussed the evolution of the legal frameworks that currently underpin forest governance in Central Africa. Sébastien Desbureaux outlined potential future collaboration with Claire Auger on a project that would build on the one focusing on the socio-economic analysis of sustainable, ‘chimpanzee- and elephant-friendly’ tea cultivation; whilst Antoine Leblois discussed the assessment of the impact of forest management plans on the sustainable reduction of forest disturbances in countries within the Congo Basin.

5. One Forest Vision: a scientific community in the making

Beyond the scientific findings, this final session above all illustrated how the projects feed off one another. One Forest Vision is not simply a collection of separate projects, but a scientific community where exchanges between researchers, students and disciplines give rise to new collaborations. This closing session thus perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the Forest & People Summer Institute: open, collaborative and interdisciplinary research, aimed at fostering a better understanding of the relationships between tropical forests and the societies that depend on them.

We would like to thank the partners and funders of the 2026 edition of the Forest & People Summer Institute:

The Opening Economics Initiative – Hermès Chair at PSE, the One Forest Vision Initiative, the LIED, the CEPREMAP, the Ecosocio Department of INRAE, the PEPR FORESTT and the Scandi research project (Explor’ae programme).