A specialization in Tropical Forest Ecology starting at the AgroParisTech tropical campus in French Guiana and continued in Montpellier, before the individual thesis project throughout the world.
The specialization in Tropical Forest Ecology at AgroParisTech is delivered at campuses in Kourou (French Guiana, South America), and Montpellier (France mainland). First semester courses start in Kourou (September/October to December), then continue in Montpellier (January to February). Thesis project implementation location depends on thesis topic.
French Guiana hosts the largest tropical European forest and the Joint Research Unit Ecology of Guianan Forests (Ecofog). Montpellier is home to Agropolis, France’s largest cluster in tropical research and education, including AgroParisTech, Montpellier University and Bioversity International. At both sites, tropical research institutions like IRD, Cirad and CNRS provide a large network of teaching experts and thesis fieldwork opportunities.
The program covers tropical forest ecology extensively, from fundamental evolutionary and functional ecology to biodiversity to ecological applications for forest conservation, exploitation, and ecological restoration, rehabilitation or reclamation. The program adopts an integrative, reflexive, and cross discipline perspective thanks to some developments in ecology-humanities connexions.
The specialization mixes training in scientific and operative methods and tools and cognitive learning. Learning methods combine classroom lectures, fieldwork (in French Guiana and during the thesis project), and problem-oriented approaches.
Main aims
- Graduate individuals who
- have a thorough understanding of the features of tropical ecosystems containing trees, including forests
- are able to selectively apply ecological theories, knowledge and models to sustainably manage ecosystems at low latitudes,
- Develop students’ intellectual, practical, reflexive, numeracy, communication, information and communication technology (ICT), interpersonal / teamwork, self-management and professional development skills, in a tropical-specific context,
- Equip students for a career in global forestry and more generally natural resources managements, and other professions requiring an ability to synthesise concepts and ideas and to take a holistic view on the frequent trade-offs between ecosystem services as well as between stakeholders in ecosystems management, at local, national, and global levels.
Semester 3: courses at Kourou
- 2 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Tool
Content
The Bayesian framework allows to build flexible models, to explicitly model uncertainty, and to account for prior knowledge about the processes and parameters. The basics of Bayesian data analysis will be presented, with application with R and Stan on different dataset related to tropical (…) Read more
- 2 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Tool
Content
This course is an introduction to different useful tools and handle ecological data and answer scientific questions. Students will first become familiar with the software R, used with the interface RStudio. Then other tools will be presented: R Markdow, Mendeley, and Git, to write reports, (…) Read more
- 6 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Environmental sciences
Content
This module is divided into three parts:
- Architecture, botany, systematics:
Dendrometry/allometry, growth.
Individual strategies of space occupation (germination, establishment, vegetative propagation).
Temperaments, functional groups and (…) Read more
- 2 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Tool
Content
The linear model part proposes the study of usual models such as analysis of variance and of covariance, regression (simple and multiple), and generalized linear model. The objective being to illustrate the power of these models but also their limits.
Emphasis is placed on the notion of (…) Read more
- 2 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Tool
Content
- Experimental design, sampling
- Factorial analysis
- Logistic (…) Read more
- 4 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Environmental sciences
Content
- Diversity and distribution:
The course develops the theoretical aspects of biodiversity measurement and the theoretical probability distributions that drive it.
Species-Abundance Distributions (log-series, lognormal, geometric and broken stick) are (…) Read more
- 5 ECTS
- Montpellier, Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary, Environmental sciences, Humanities, Tool
Content
This module prepares students to the design, planning and implementation of a research project in general. The academic training is applied to the building of the student’s individual thesis project (module 3.18 Thesis). Such preparation is all the more important since thesis projects are (…) Read more
- 2 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary
Content
The objective of this module is to provide students with the basics of conservation management in the tropics. The course will introduce the notions of:
- Ethics of Conservation Management
- Fragmentation of environments and design of protected areas
- Biological (…) Read more
- 2 ECTS
- Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Environmental sciences
Content
- Collective and individual descriptors,
- Spatial structuring of individuals and populations,
- Dynamic processes in tropical (…) Read more
Semester 3: courses at Montpellier
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Humanities
Content
Businesses play a central role today in the dynamics of ecosystem degradation, and are therefore increasingly called upon to contribute to their protection. How then can we improve the consideration of biodiversity issues by businesses and the involvement of businesses in the management of (…) Read more
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary
Content
In this course, ecological engineering is considered inclusively as the implementation of the application of principles of, and knowledge on the functioning and structure of ecosystems, including their self-organization capacity, for the creation of systems or the management and restoration of (…) Read more
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Humanities, Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary, Tool
Content
Sound understanding of the structure and functioning of ecosystems is a key contribution to the identification of sustainable management schemes for tropical ecosystems. However, scientists, experts and managers should not miss how far knowledge and instruments are partial and biased, referring (…) Read more
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Tool
Content
This module is targeted at any student whether with limited or advanced command of the French language.
Target activities and grammar are adjusted to the student’s initial level in French and are designed according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). (…) Read more
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Environmental sciences, Tool
Content
Tropical forests are diverse and some of them have among the densest biomasses in the world. Their study is a challenge due to poor accessibility, adverse atmospheric conditions, often complex vegetation physiognomy, and a lack of funding in many tropical countries. Meanwhile there is a growing (…) Read more
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Tool
Content
Objectives
- Provide basis for the conception, functioning and potential applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the management of environmental resources and forests.
- Bring practical experience of a GIS software for the conception, design (…) Read more
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Elective
- Humanities
Content
- 5 ECTS
- Montpellier, Kourou
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary, Environmental sciences, Humanities, Tool
Content
This module prepares students to the design, planning and implementation of a research project in general. The academic training is applied to the building of the student’s individual thesis project (module 3.18 Thesis). Such preparation is all the more important since thesis projects are (…) Read more
- 2.5 ECTS
- Montpellier
- Year 2
- Semester 3
- Compulsory
- Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary
Content
Land-use change in the tropics is responsible for 10% of human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Tropical forests and tree plantations may be important carbon sinks and provide biomass fuel as a substitute to fossil energy, while reduction of deforestation and forest degradation (…) Read more
Semester 4: thesis
- 30 ECTS
- Montpellier, Kourou, Other, Fieldwork site(s)
- Year 2
- Semester 4
- Compulsory
- Environmental sciences, Humanities, Integrative/inter/transdisciplinary, Tool
Content
The thesis project is a research project that must deal with environmental and, preferentially, tropical issues in natural ecosystems or within cropping systems including tree as a major component.. It is usually part of an internship in
- a research institution either national (e.g., (…) Read more
