Louis-Junior Beni

I have a double master degree in Tropical Forestry at TU Dresden in Germany and Tropical forest and ecosystems management at Montpellier SupAgro in France. I have worked for a year as a Cirad researcher regarding the impact of firewood and forest industry in the Congo Basin.  I began my PhD at the University of Kinshasa in 2019 with Professor Honoré BELESI as supervisor and Professor David Edwards from the University of Cambridge as my second supervisor.

My research focuses on natural forest restoration and ecosystem dynamics after slush-and-burn agriculture in Congo Basin forests (DR Congo). I am focussing in old fallows to examine tree diversity, regeneration, and carbon stock. I also combine with phytosocioligical survey and analyses for community forest characterisation.  In addition, my research involves an economic assessment of fallows management and conservation for people's livelihoods. By accurately measuring the cost-effectiveness of conservation activities for sustainable forest management practices and local people's well-being, my research contributes to the global efforts on forest restoration and climate change mitigation.