PhD (M/F) in social geography

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Historical ecology in the adaptive management of forest socio-ecosystems: toward transformative research?
Forests are socio-ecosystems shaped by thousands of years of natural and human influences house to tangible and intangible legacies that continue to influence their current dynamics. Although essential for maintaining ecosystem services, forests are under increasing pressures that threaten this function. Current forest management planning tools and predictive models often focused on timber production sparly include historical ecology data, thereby skewing the relevance of projections about the future of forests. Faced with this gap, managers (the ONF, local authorities, and associations) are turning to researchers in historical ecology to help them understand the current state of forests and anticipate their future. It is with this in mind that the LLFP pilot project was launched. It aims to create spaces for discussion on forest-related issues by bringing together local stakeholders and users with researchers who treat historical data as missing variables. Thus, the knowledges derived from long-historical analyses could, for example, enrich:
(i) contemporary debates on complementary and conflicting of use,
(ii) forward-looking analysis by offering longer-term perspectives on the possible trajectories of forest socio-ecosystems,
(iii) understanding the representations and imaginaries associated with forests to foster a dialogue between forests and society,
and perhaps contribute to forestry “innovations,” thereby playing a role in adaptive forest management.
This PhD project aims to study how knowledge derived from long-term observations can be shared, debated, and adopted at the local level. More broadly, the PHD project will seek to understand how to foster new modes of governance for forest socio-ecosystems that are more equitable and inclusive. The research will examine the stance and roles of researchers as mediators of knowledge, as well as the capacity of a Living Lab to support the co-construction of knowledge relevant to territorial dynamics in this context. While the relevance of forestry Living Labs now appears to be well-established (Arnould et al., 2022, 2024; Vaes Massagli et al., 2024), and an implementation protocol has been proposed (Arnould, 2021; Arnould et al., 2024),there are still a number of aspects that need to be addressed. For several decades, numerous scientific approaches have proposed theoretical frameworks for knowledge production to support transitions toward sustainable development (Loorbach et al., 2017). The co-production of knowledge lies at the heart of these proposals, leading to a shift in the stances and roles adopted by researchers within transdisciplinary collectives (Wittmayer and Schäpke, 2014; Avelino and Wittmayer, 2017), while nevertheless revealing a diversity of motivations for engaging in it (Norström et al., 2020; Chambers et al., 2021). The ability to link knowledge to action requires researchers to demonstrate a stronger commitment to encouraging and supporting innovation and to participating in collective reflections on a sustainable future (Clark et al., 2020). However, these approaches have often been criticized for failing to take sufficient account of conflicts and power dynamics (Turnhout et al., 2020; Jagannathan et al., 2020; Blythe et al., 2018). The Ph D student will adopt a “participatory” action research approach within an interdisciplinary context.
• From an operational perspective, the student, adopting a participant observation approach to inform their academic research objectives, will be involved in the implementation of one or more forest Living Labs sites in the Pyrénées (Ariège, Haute-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Pyrénées-Orientales). Further, the inclusion of the LLFP in the FORESTT-HUB network of forestry Living Labs, as well as in networks currently being established at various scale (national, European, and international), will facilitate the sharing and discussion of the results obtained within and beyond the PEPR FORESTT program, with the aim of ensuring their transferability.
• From a theoretical perspective, this work falls within the field of social geography and will contribute to debates in sustainability sciences, particularly in the field of transition studies, within the context of transformative sciences aimed at rethinking how we understand and govern forest socio-ecosystems. Empirically, this research will demonstrate how the co-construction of knowledge between scientists and stakeholders takes place to foster legitimate and informed decision-making, and will address the following questions:
o What roles can knowledge of historical ecology play in adaptive forest management? What knowledge is relevant for addressing priority regional challenges?
o How can knowledge derived from long-term observations be shared, debated, and adopted at the local level?
• To what extent can a Living Lab support the co-construction of knowledge « useful » for territorial dynamics in this context?
Do they enable the emergence of new governance models for forest socio-ecosystems that are more equitable and inclusive?
Do they facilitate the design and/or envisioning of a variety of possible futures?
o What are the implications for researchers? To what extent is the developed approach relevant and operational for local stakeholders? Which ones? With what effects?

Your Work Environment

This thesis proposal is part of the PEPR FORESTT research program (2024–2030), which focuses on forest resilience and the socio-ecological transition of forest systems (https://www.pepr-forestt.org/), funded by the France 2030 investment plan. More specifically, the project builds on the program's goal of spreading the “Living Lab” concept as a framework for open innovatio, in which users are recognized as co-producers of knowledge and as stakeholders in the issues at hand (Chesbrough, 2003; Von Hippel, 2001). The thesis's research framework is the Pyrenean Forests Living Lab (LLFP), which is officially one of the first ten initiatives supported by the “forest living labs” initiative of the FORESTT-HUB targeted project. Its originality lies in the fact that it was initiated by researchers who hypothesized that data from historical ecology could help refresh the dialogue between forests and society.
The doctoral student will be supervised by two CNRS researchers from UMR Géode (Environmental Geography UMR5602 CNRS – University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès) - Christine Hervé (CR HDR), a biologist by training specializing in sustainability science, and Mélanie Saulnier (CR), a forest ecologist and paleoecologist; Vanessa Py-Saragaglia (CR-HDR CNRS - IRAMAT), an archaeobotanist; and Sylvain Burri (CR CNRS – TRACES), a researcher in history and futures studies, will participate in the close supervision of the dissertation.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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