​ECOTROP GABON
The Field School in Tropical Ecology (ECOTROP)

The ECOTROP field school is an innovative training program for African, European, and, more recently, American students, which has been held in Central Africa (Cameroon and Gabon) since 2010. It aims to equip students with diverse knowledge and skills in the study, management, and conservation of biodiversity, as well as the geosciences, geomorphology, pedology, geology, and archaeology of the Congo Basin.

These skills are acquired by integrating them into research teams developed by researchers from academic institutions, research centers, and professionals in Africa, Europe, and North America. In 2025, ECOTROP-Forest was held in Lastoursville and the villages associated with the Doumé group in the Mulundu Department, near Lastoursville, where preliminary work has been carried out since 2021.

The overall goal of this field school is to better understand the role that human populations have played in the biological diversity we observe today. The significant impact of human populations living in forests on tropical forests is increasingly recognized. However, much of this research has focused on Amazonian forests, and relatively few studies have been conducted in the tropical regions of Central Africa.

This study compares former village sites with undisturbed reference sites to test the hypothesis that past villages have positively influenced forest wildlife diversity through increased soil fertility through biocarbon production and the deliberate planting of fruiting trees. Both factors are hypothesized to promote plant growth and vertebrate diversity. Social surveys are also being conducted with local communities to understand their history and use of the forest at the former village and reference sites.
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Through such an integrative approach, students will understand the interdependence of different disciplines and acquire essential research skills in tropical ecology. The project’s international partners provide considerable expertise, resources, and infrastructure to support the proposed project through ECOTROP, a recognized international training consortium.

Before the start of each field school, students are provided with preparatory training in tropical forest ecology and English and French language skills. In the field, training activities take place through a series of interdisciplinary thematic working groups or “ateliers”. Students are organized into research teams supervised by professors, researchers, and professionals from the participating institutions. Each student team designs its own research project that fits with the overall goals of the project, collects data in the field, analyzes these data, and presents the results at the final presentation session held at the end of the field school in Lastoursville, Franceville, and Libreville. Following the conclusion of each field school, students participate in a series of professional workshops that are designed to help guide them through the next step in their professional careers, network with participating scientists, and write grants for future research.