An interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary meeting on the mangroves of the Santa Cruz Channel and Casamance
As part of the SUFUMANG project, funded by the ANR and dedicated to understanding the status of mangroves in the Santa Cruz Channel (Northeast Brazil) and in Casamance (Senegal), an interdisciplinary workshop was held in Itapissuma from 31 October to 7 November 2025. This workshop followed on from a first session organised in Casamance in March 2025, in collaboration with the LISODE facilitation team (Montpellier).
The main objective of this new session was to strengthen interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration within the consortium. Brazilian, Senegalese, and French researchers involved in SUFUMANG worked together by combining complementary perspectives—ecology, fisheries science, botany, genetics, and the social sciences—to better understand mangroves as complex socio-ecosystems.
The workshop combined theoretical reflections with shared field activities, including:
- environmental DNA sampling,
- exploratory fishing campaigns,
- botanical surveys,
- social science observations and interviews
- contaminant and sedimentology fieldwork..
This collective fieldwork enabled the team to cross disciplinary approaches, identify complementarities, and develop a shared language that enriches the South–South comparative analysis between the two study regions.
A highlight of the workshop was a full day of interaction with local stakeholders from the Santa Cruz Channel region. Through activities such as participatory mapping and discussions on innovative local initiatives, participants explored issues related to resource uses, governance, and the resilience of mangroves in a sustainable management perspective.
This workshop represented an essential step in strengthening the North–South and South–South collaborative dynamics of the SUFUMANG project.
