The Director of ERAIFT and Rector of IFA-YANGAMBI visited the Dzanga-Sangha Park in Central African Republic (CAR), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from 14 to 19 April. This was his second visit since December 2016. ERAIFT plans to send students to this exceptional biodiversity site. The Director of ERAIFT and Rector of IFA-Yangambi thanks the CAR for its welcome and WWF for the perfect organization of his visit.

The consortium comprising NATURE+ ASBL, AFRICAN PARKS NETWORK, the “Association Professionnelle pour la Valorisation des Produits Forestiers et Subsidiaires (APVPS)” and the “École Régionale Postuniversitaire d'Aménagement et de Gestion Intégrés des Forêts et Territoires Tropicaux (ERAIFT)”, has just signed a grant agreement with the European Union to finance the implementation of the ‘AGROVAL’ project - Agroecology, Responsible Management and Development of Sustainable Value Chains in Ouesso and Pokola.

This project will be implemented over 60 months in the Republic of Congo, particularly in Ouesso and Pokola, at a total cost of 2,076,463.40 euros.

ERAIFT sincerely thanks the European Union for its financial support and trust. ERAIFT also thanks its partners NATURE+, AFRICAN PARKS NETWORK, and APVPS for their invaluable collaboration and commitment to this new project.

The Regional School of Postgraduate Studies in Forestry and Tropical Territories Management (ERAIFT), a UNESCO Category 2 Centre, organized the private defense of the doctoral thesis by Mr. Louis-Pasteur Bamenga Bopoko, ERAIFT Research Assistant, on Friday, April 4, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM (Kinshasa time). The thesis is titled "Socio-economic Evaluation of Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner) (Rubiaceae) in the Tshopo Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Status and Potential". This study was conducted through a collaboration between ERAIFT and the Meise Botanic Garden under the B2/191/P1/COFFEEBRIDGE grant.

The defense was held in a hybrid format, with both in-person sessions at ERAIFT and online, in front of an international and interdisciplinary jury comprising researchers and faculty members from ERAIFT, IFA Yangambi, the University of Dschang, the Royal Museum for Central Africa, and KU Leuven.

After the oral presentation, discussions, and exchanges between the candidate and the jury members, the thesis was accepted for public defense with distinction. The public defense is scheduled for May 2, 2025.

ERAIFT sincerely thanks the Meise Botanic Garden for the support of this thesis. It also expresses gratitude to its financial and technical partners for their diverse support and renewed trust. The same gratitude is extended to the jury members for their availability and commitment.

The Director of ERAIFT and Rector of IFA-YANGAMBI visited Hanoi and Hue in Vietnam on invitation from Professor Philippe Lebailly, coordinator of ARES institutional support at the National University of Agriculture. On this occasion, the Director of ERAIFT and Rector of IFA-YANGAMBI had the opportunity to exchange views with the academic authorities and to strengthen South-South cooperation.

ERAIFT and IFA-YANGAMBI thank Professor Philippe Lebailly for his invitation.

On Friday, 7 March 2025, ERAIFT organized a conference debate on the theme: Anthropization of landscapes along the rural-urban gradient of Kisangani: spatial dynamics and degradation of ecosystem services. The lecture was given by Mr Bwazani Balandi Julien, a doctoral student at ERAIFT, under joint supervision with the University of Liège. The 40 students in the 6th year of the Regional Master's program, the doctoral assistants, and the post-doctoral students actively participated in this scientific morning, both in class and online.

The speaker focused on several key points, including the context and challenges of urbanization in developing countries, Kisangani's urban expansion, and urbanization's impact on green spaces and heat islands in the city. This conference debate presented many scientific facts that could be used as decision-making tools in the form of policy briefs.

At the end of the discussions, the participants better understood the challenges of uncontrolled urbanization and the importance of building sustainable cities where plant cover plays an essential role, particularly in climate change. Research avenues were also suggested for learners wishing to deepen their knowledge in urbanization, remote sensing, and urban landscape ecology.

ERAIFT thanks the European Union and AGRINATURA, for their financial support and renewed confidence. ERAIFT also thanks PhD student Bwazani Balandi Julien for sharing this scientific knowledge.

On Friday, 28 February 2025, ERAIFT organized a conference-debate on the theme: Evaluation of the ecosystem services value chain in the Luki Biosphere Reserve. This study is part of the RESSAC project. The conference was co-hosted by Mr Wamba Franck Robéan, a post-doctoral student at ERAIFT as part of the RESSAC project, and Lukoki Hyacinthe, an intern with the RESSAC-ERAIFT project, with a contribution from Professor Papy Nsevolo, a post-doctoral student and the project's focal point at ERAIFT. The 40 students in the 6th year of the Regional Master's programme, doctoral assistants, and post-doctoral students took an active part in this scientific morning.

The lecturer focused on the overall presentation of the RESSAC-ERAIFT project and its objectives, in particular: to identify the goods and services offered by the Luki Biosphere Reserve, assess the demand for ecosystem services, highlight the economic, social, and cultural values of ecosystem services, and propose recommendations for the sustainable management of the Luki Biosphere Reserve.

At the end of the discussions, the participants became aware of the many opportunities for scientific research offered by the Luki Biosphere Reserve. They also considered the importance of tackling the issue of evaluating ecosystem services to integrate them into overall conservation strategies within protected areas.

ERAIFT thanks the European Union, the RESSAC project, and CIFOR-ICRAF for their financial support and renewed confidence. It also thanks the postdoctoral students Wamba Franck Robéan and Papy Nsevolo and the intern Lukoki Hyacinthe for their scientific contributions.