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In this season of renewal, 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 extends its warmest wishes

to the entire academic community: Students, Doctoral students, Researchers, Professionals and Officials for an Easter filled with hope, scientific excellence, and sustainable progress.

May your work continue to illuminate the paths of knowledge and innovation.

Congratulations to 𝗗𝗿. 𝗚𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗼𝘂 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲́ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 on the successful defense of his 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗿, 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝘂𝗺.

His dissertation, entitled : “ 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲: 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹-𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵”, investigated pathways to enhance coastal sustainability in the Anthropocene, by analyzing how to enhance the sustainable use of mangroves and strengthen their social-ecological resilience through an interdisciplinary approach.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:

- The study showed that traditional beliefs and local deities play a significant role in regulating the use of mangrove resources, while the overlapping of formal and informal institutions offer opportunities to enhance their social-ecological resilience.

- The novel proposed framework called Mangrove Social Ecological Resilience Appraisal (MaSERA) outlines variables and indicators tailored to mangroves to assess their social-ecological resilience.

- The application of the framework in Benin highlights its potential in identifying factors that erode or enhance mangrove resilience.

Dear 𝗗𝗿. 𝗚𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗼𝘂 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲́ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁, we are proud of your accomplishments and extend our best wishes as you advance to the next stages of your promising career.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

1. Gnansounou, S. C., Salako, K. V., Visée, C., Dahdouh-Guebas, F., Kakaï, R. G., Kestemont, P., & Henry, S. (2024). The role of local deities and traditional beliefs in promoting the sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems. Forest Policy and Economics, 160, 103145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2023.103145

2. Gnansounou, S. C., Salako, K. V., Pellowe, K. E., Diallo, K., Kakaï, R. G., Kestemont, P., & Henry, S. (2026). Synergies between legal frameworks and traditional rules, and their potential for enhancing the social-ecological resilience of mangroves. Ocean & Coastal Management, 271, 107950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107950

3. Gnansounou, S. C., Dendoncker, N., Salako, K. S., Dahdouh-Guebas, F., Pellowe, K., De Longueville, F., Silvestre, F., Glèlè Kakaï, R., Kestemont, P., Henry S. Mangrove Social-Ecological Resilience Appraisal (MaSERA): A novel interdisciplinary Framework for Assessment. Under review

4. Gnansounou, S. C., Dendoncker, N., Salako, K. S., Dahdouh-Guebas, F., Pellowe, K., De Longueville, F., Silvestre, F., Glèlè Kakaï, R., Kestemont, P., Henry S. Toward coastal sustainability: operationalizing the Mangrove Social-Ecological Resilience Appraisal (MaSERA) framework. Under review

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝟮𝟰𝟬 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥

Since Monday, March 2, 2026, Bohicon has been hosting a hybrid training workshop entitled “𝗦𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀: 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥.S.” Over the course of four days, several hundred early-career researchers from around twenty countries are strengthening their expertise in spatial data analysis methods to support more informed and evidence-based decision-making.

𝗗𝗿. 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗸 𝗔𝗸𝗶𝗻 spent an enriching Monday morning attending a session on the foundations of spatial data and spatial dependence.

This morning’s session already proves that I should be here and that I was right to apply for this training. It is very useful and very fundamental. Until now, many mistakes have been made in data analysis, and I believe that with this kind of training, we will be able to better estimate yields, better predict the future of our forests, and provide more accurate and reliable information for decision-making to policymakers,” he said.

A total of 𝟮𝟰𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 (master’s students, researchers, PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and professionals) were selected for this training to strengthen their skills in data analysis. Forty participants are attending the sessions in person and the 𝟮𝟬𝟬 others online.

“This remarkable participation reflects a young dynamic scientific community that is eager to strengthen its capacities and collaborate,” stated Professor Romain Lucas Glèlè Kakaï, Director of 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙/𝗙𝗦𝗔.

Bridging the Gap

The workshop was organized as part of the activities of the Humboldt Research Hub on the Socio-Ecological Modeling of COVID-19 in Africa (HRH-SEMCA), with the support of the 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

It takes place in a context where, despite their strategic importance, spatial regression and geostatistical methods remain insufficiently mastered and underutilized in many research and decision-making settings.

According to 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀 𝗚𝗹𝗲̀𝗹𝗲̀ 𝗞𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗶̈ , Director of 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙/𝗙𝗦𝗔, the objective is to bridge this gap by offering, through four progressive sessions, both conceptual and practical mastery of the foundations of spatial analysis, global and local spatial regression models, as well as geostatistical modeling and spatial prediction techniques, through hands-on applications using R.

“In our countries, many phenomena affect health, the environment, agriculture, and the economy. And these phenomena do not occur uniformly across space. Realities differ from one region to another, and our decisions would gain relevance if our data analyses took these differences into account. That is exactly the ambition of this workshop, to help participants better analyze data, better interpret results, and better inform action,”𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀 𝗚𝗹𝗲̀𝗹𝗲̀ 𝗞𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗶̈ stated.

The scheduled sessions include global spatial regression models; local spatial regression models; and an introduction to geostatistics. The program also includes numerous hands-on practical sessions.

This workshop in Bohicon comes just weeks after another one held in Grand-Popo on the theme: “Structural Equation Modeling: Principles and Applications in Health, Environment, and Agronomy Using R.” Earlier, a training session was organized on effective prompt engineering.

“This workshop is part of the continuity of our service to the community. Through these initiatives, our objective at LABEF is to create an environment where young researchers, faculty members, and researchers can acquire useful and practical skills, exchange ideas about their work, and develop rigorous habits that enhance the quality of our research and publications, an approach that encourages publishing in high-impact journals.”

𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: A Strategic Discipline for Science, the Environment, Agronomy, and Public HealthAs part of the 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗔𝗦 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 programme, the 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗳 in collaboration with the 𝗦𝘂𝗯-𝗦𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘂𝗺 for Advanced Biostatistics (𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗕 𝗜𝗜) is organizing a seminar of Public Engagement in Science (PES) dedicated to:

“𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀, 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀.”

This programme aims to strengthen academic guidance and promote scientific excellence in Biostatistics across 𝗦𝘂𝗯-𝗦𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻.

Pupils, students, faculty members, researchers, and professionals are cordially invited to take part in this major scientific event.

𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀!

  🍀 Announcement of practical training in data analysis☘️

“Structural equation modeling: principles and applications in health, environment, and agronomy, using R software”

As part of its partnership with the Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics Training (SSACAB), LABEF is organizing a training course on modeling with structural equations.

•    Location: No Stress Hotel, Grand Popo

•    Date: December 17–19, 2025

•    Language: French

•    Conditions for participation:
-    Have a working computer
-    Have basic knowledge of statistics and data analysis in R software.

•    Number of places available 
-    25 in person
-    200 online (via Zoom)

•    Registration details: 
-    By application (the application form is available here: https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/fGE2GR43 
-    Application deadline: December 2, 2025
-    Selection for in-person participation will be based on the quality of the CV and cover letter.