Event Information
Background:
Forests and agroforestry systems are under growing pressure from climate change, biodiversity loss, land-use change, and socio-economic transformations, with profound implications for ecological integrity and forest-dependent livelihoods. Over the past two decades, many governments—including Kenya’s—have promoted participatory forest management and incentive-based conservation approaches such as Payments for Ecosystem Services to address forest degradation while improving local welfare. Evidence shows that these approaches can generate both synergies and trade-offs between conservation and livelihood outcomes, yet research often examines social and ecological dimensions in isolation, limiting the understanding of sustainability. There is a critical need for systems thinking and transdisciplinary research that jointly analyses biophysical and socio-economic outcomes and responds to growing demands for tangible, policy-relevant impacts, particularly in African contexts where such approaches remain nascent. This summer school aims to strengthen participants’ capacity to analyse and promote sustainable forest and agroforestry governance that balances biodiversity conservation,livelihoods, and environmental justice. Through interdisciplinary learning and cross-case exchange, participants will explore how governance and management strategies shape social, economic, and ecological outcomes, and how progress toward sustainability can be assessed using science-based frameworks, criteria, and indicators. Hosted in Kenya—a country with diverse experiences in community-based and incentive-driven forest management but forest cover below the UN-recommended threshold—the summer school will draw on rich empirical cases.
Aims:
To strengthen the capacity of PhD and postdoctoral researchers to design and apply transdisciplinary, systems-based approaches that enhance both livelihood and biophysical outcomes in forest and agroforestry systems.
Objectives:
• To deepen understanding of how governance and management strategies shape synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity conservation, livelihoods, and environmental justice.
• To build skills in applying social–ecological systems frameworks for integrated analysis of forest and agroforestry sustainability.
• To facilitate cross-case learning from Kenyan and regional experiences with participatory and incentive-based forest management.
• To support participants in identifying, developing, or refining indicators and frameworks for measuring progress toward sustainable forest and agroforestry use.
Target group:
The summer school is open to:
- African and German PhD students
- African and German post-docs
Key dates
- Application deadline: May 17th 2026
- Notification of selected candidates: May 31st, 2026
- Travel to Kenya: September 26-27th, 2026
- Summer school start: September 28th, 2026
