On 17 and 18 April 2024, ERAIFT organized "English Speaking Days for Nature, Biodiversity and Climate" at the Centre Wallonie de Bruxelles. The aim of these events was to discuss current environmental challenges and to highlight the bilingual nature of ERAIFT's training offer in order to increase its national and international visibility.
The event brought together online and face-to-face the UNESCO country representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, scientists, bankers, especially Rawbank, journalists, members of civil society, representatives of the Congolese administration and members of RADDI, the association of ERAIFT’s alumni.
Over 20 topics were discussed in depth. These topics were divided into five major themes: green economy and management; local communities; PA managers, a job for the future?; value chain analysis; and major landscapes: forests, wetlands and savannahs.
Topics include: Positive Nature Initiative, Banking and the Green Economy, Circular Economy, Geographic Information System, Philanthropy and Social Investment, Protected Area Management, Economic Value of Protected Areas, Mangroves, Peri-urban Protected Area, Civil Society Involvement, Climate Change, Ecotourism, Okapi Trust Fund, Bushmeat, Local Communities, ULisboa Scientific Cooperation, Clean Cookstoves, Basic Education, Carbon Desk.
Rawbank, ODD & MAB, Biodiversity, CAFI and Payments for Environmental Services, Perennial Crops, Peatlands. Discussions often gave rise to enthusiastic and creative exchanges, all in an English-speaking atmosphere.
After 25 years of existence, ERAIFT is gradually opening up to the English-speaking world in order to further improve its training offer for future managers of protected areas and tropical forest ecosystems.
ERAIFT sincerely thanks Rawbank, the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles and ETEC Environment for their support for this forum. It would also like to express its gratitude to the European Union, AGRINATURA, UNESCO and all the other partners for their various contributions to the advancement of the school and the quality assurance of its training offer.
