CSE

Centre of Social Excellence

 

The Centre of Social Excellence (CSE) has been designed to address issues related to deforestation and the implications for local and indigenous communities living in the forests of the Congo Basin.  The €2 million project has been granted key support from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and the Fondation Chirac. A primary goal of the CSE is to promote excellence and improve the understanding and linkages between forest companies and indigenous communities, thereby encouraging dialogue and sustainable forestry management practices.

The CSE offers a unique 9 month programme taught in the classroom and during practical field-based training, covering a broad range of social, ethnographic and forestry management topics including participative mapping techniques.

Through the programme, TFT supports the development and expansion of social expertise among recent graduates of central African universities and professionals working in central Africa who wish to practice sustainable forestry.

The CSE promotes a unique and innovative approach to sustainable forestry management and conservation by teaching practices and techniques that incorporate the views and rights of indigenous people living in and around forest concessions. This not only allows indigenous communities a voice in the use of local resources but also assists forest companies to work towards attaining Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, the industry standard for responsible and sustainable forest practices.

CSE updates

- April 2010 : Le Centre D'Excellence Sociale accueille des visiteurs de marque (French only) ici.
- March 2010: Read about the first field visit for the students here.
- February 2010: The pioneer promotion students graduated and the second promotion started, see more here.
- September 2009: read an update half way through the students' training here.
- August 2009: The students started their practical training at partner forest companies, see more here.
- June 2009: The CSE was formally inaugurated; see more here.
- May 2009: The first students started classes.  See the students arriving and get their first reactions here.
-  March 2009: Read about preparations to welcome the students here.
-February 2009: Read about the CSE presentation and the call for applicants here.

 

Project links

More information about the CSE; including a summary of course offerings is available here.

Centre of Social Excellence Summary Document in English

Centre d'Exellence Sociale Document de Présentation en français  

Présentation de la formation aux étudiants (février 2010)

Présentation des Modules de Cours en français

 Dossier de Candidature (février 2010)

The CSE is currently supported through grants provided by our partners at: