The permanent position is available for May 1, 2022 and is based in Côte d'Ivoire.

In West Africa, forests are highly degraded due to a very long history of human occupation that has led to a deforestation rate of more than 80% of the original area. The main reasons for the massive loss of forest cover are diverse, but they are all related to the development of human activities: (i) extensive agriculture based on the traditional technique of slash-and-burn cultivation, (ii) cash crops, and finally (iii) uncontrolled exploitation of fuelwood and lumber which is also an important factor

CIRAD Forests and Societies (F&S) research unit, with its partners, is conducting several research projects aimed at ensuring sustainable production of timber, fuelwood and non-wood forest products in post-forest systems in West Africa. To participate in this dynamic, the unit is recruiting a forest researcher with experience in forest restoration in tropical environments. You will work in close collaboration with colleagues of the F&S unit, so as to be able to bring your competence as a forester in multidisciplinary teams (ecologist, modeller, political scientist, economist, sociologist).

You will first contribute to the development of innovative technical itineraries:

In forest plantations, to meet the demand for wood and generate sources of income for local populations;

In agroforestry systems, to optimize the tree-perennial crop-food crop system and ensure substantial wood production while maintaining agricultural yield levels;

In secondary forests, to accelerate the reconstitution of the wood resource and limit the conversion of these areas. These technical itineraries will be co-constructed with local stakeholders and decision-makers, so that they are adapted to the socio-environmental contexts of the intervention zones and to reinforce their appropriation by the beneficiaries.

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