One Forest Vision Annual Seminar – September 2025

The day was opened by Daniel Cornelis, the new Director of the Forests and Societies Unit at CIRAD. The co-coordinators of the initiative, Laurent Durieux (IRD) and Thierry Caquet (INRAE), then presented the framework of the day and reiterated the main objectives of the initiative.

Scientific advances and technological innovations

The morning session provided an opportunity to review the scientific advances achieved by the initiative over the past year in the Congo Basin. The various presentations gave the floor to a wide range of contributors: researchers, engineers, as well as postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and Master’s interns.

The presentations were particularly rich. Here are a few examples of the topics covered:

• New methods developed to better estimate biomass stocks while accounting for architectural diversity;
• Research on wildlife identification (both at the species and individual levels) using camera traps and passive acoustics;
• Progress from the Pl@ntNet team, with a new model trained to recognize tree species from canopy images taken at 40 meters above ground;
• New models for carbon balance assessments at the African scale, and for understanding forest resilience;
• The critical role of small-scale disturbances in forest biomass losses and gains;
• Ongoing efforts to improve our understanding of wetland hydrodynamics.

Open data, capacity building and co-construction

The afternoon focused on the cross-cutting actions of the initiative in the Congo Basin countries:

• The issue of data, with an emphasis on the importance of interoperability of environmental data as a key to better harmonization;
• Scientific cooperation, through the various actions carried out in collaboration with partners;
• Capacity-building prospects, with 14 PhD projects starting in 2025 and the training programs in which the initiative is involved.

Regional synergies and scientific alliances in the run-up to COP30

The floor was then given to several regional initiatives close to OFVi in order to highlight current and future synergies to be developed (CBSI, PANGEA, R2FAC, SWM, CAPES).

The end of the day was marked by two strategic roundtables. The first, entitled “Which sciences to address the region’s challenges?” and moderated by Daniel Cornelis (CIRAD), brought together Stephan Ntie (ANPN), Fatima Laggoun-Defarge (MESR), Charles Doumenge (CIRAD), and Sébastien Desbureaux (INRAE). It emphasized the importance of integrating human societies and wetlands into regional approaches, while also underscoring the need for dialogue between science and public decision-making.

The second roundtable, moderated by Laurent Durieux, was entitled “What messages for COP30?” and included Nadège Mézié (CFBBA), Aboubakar Mambimba Ndjoungui (AGEOS), Frédéric Huynh (Data Terra), and Martin Schwartz (CEA).

Three key priorities emerged:

• Promoting a shared vision between the three tropical basins (Amazon, Congo, Asia);
• Showcasing tangible scientific results from the Congo Basin;
• Proposing mobility grants and cross-training programs between the Amazon and the Congo Basin.

OFVi: A Collective Dynamic

The 2025 annual seminar confirmed the structuring role of the One Forest Vision initiative in regional scientific coordination, the mobilization of cutting-edge tools, and the circulation of knowledge among international stakeholders.

As COP30 in Belém approaches, OFVi aims to continue acting as a bridge between science, policy, and society, to amplify the voice of tropical forests and of those who study, manage, and defend them.