The organization: Brin de forêt (BioGET Master's Program)

Brin de Forêt isan association whose goal is to organizescientific events oncurrent issuesin ecology andbiodiversity conservation. This association facilitates the creation of a network for exchange amongresearchers workingatthe national and international levels,students, and anyone with a general interest in ecological issues. By bringing together the general public, researchers, professionals, and students, we aim to promotethe dissemination of knowledgeabout ecology andhumanity’s place withinthe ecosystem.

The association is made up of studentsin the BioGET(Plant Biodiversity and Tropical Ecosystem Management)master’s program at the University of Montpellier. Each year, this master’s program is responsible for organizing a conference on a current topic in the field oftropical plant ecology.

Thus, theBrin de Forêtassociation was founded in 2014 to organize a conference on“Payments for Environmental Services.” In 2016, the conference focused on the themeof “Climate Change and Its Impacts on Tropical Ecosystems.” The following year, it focused on“Biodiversity Loss.” Last year’s themewas “Ecological Engineering in the Tropics.”And in 2019, the conference will focuson Ethnobotany: Plants and People, Destinies Intertwined in the Tropics.

2019 Edition

True to its values, the Brin de Forêt association will host a scientific conference next January (2019) that will highlight the biodiversity of tropical environments and humanity’s place within them. It will be an opportunity to discuss and learn aboutethnobotany!

“Plants and People: Intertwined Destinies in the Tropics”

From tropical biodiversity to its connections with societies, this conference is designed to be cross-cutting and interdisciplinary, covering a variety of topics in ecology and the social sciences, such as conservation, plant biology, and local knowledge.

🌎PROGRAM🌎

1:45 p.m.: Introduction to the symposium

2:00 p.m.:Georges Metailié(Honorary Member of the Alexandre Koyré Center) will present the history of ethnobotany: concepts, the origin of the term, its definition, and its evolution.

3:00 p.m.:Michel Chauvet(Researcher at CIRAD). He will present examples of ethnobotanical practices in Africa.

A tasty snack 🙂

4:00 p.m.:Doyle McKey(Professor and researcher at CEFE) will use various examples to illustrate the biocultural interactions between humans and plants.

5:00 p.m.:Sandrine Gallois(postdoctoral fellow/researcher at Leiden University—Harvest Project) will present a concrete example of an ethnobotanical project based on her dissertation, which focused on the study of environmental knowledge among the Baka, in part through an innovative approach to working with children.

6:00 p.m.: Roundtable discussion, closing remarks, and buffet

🌵 PRACTICAL INFORMATION 🌵

The conference will take placeon Monday, January 21, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. in the Dumontet Auditorium onthe Triolet Campus (Tram Line 1—“Université des Sciences et des Lettres” stop).