Specialized Master FNS-MI

Specialized Master FNS-MI

Preservation and management of natural and forest ecosystems at the international level

In a context of ecological, social and economic tensions, the course specialises in the management of natural environments and ecosystems, with an accent on social and management sciences, and leads to the title of expert in strategy and negotiation for international ecosystem management.

River landscape in the tropics, Myanmar. Photo : J. Vendé

Practical informations

Applications for the SpM opened

See the box "Application" on the right

Fees and charges

Registration fees for 2022/2023 are distributed as follows according to the financing status :

- Employee or self-employed with training costs covered by a public or private funder: 10 950 euros
- Jobseeker with full coverage of training costs by a third party: 9 950 euros
- Other statuts : 8 950 euros

These registration fees include the return air ticket to French Guiana and participation in the Tropical Rainforest module (FTH).

In addition, there are travel expenses during the course (tours, modules and projects) and the final professional mission (either in France or abroad).

Teaching languages

The French and English.

Selection process

The selection process begins with an examination of the application by the recruitment panel.
A Master's degree, or an engineering degree, or a degree from a business school or university is required, or alternatively, an M1 followed by three years of professional experience.
It is also necessary to include in the file an official certificate of a level at least equal to B2 in English.
If the candidate is declared eligible, he/she is invited to an admission interview with a commission composed of teacher-researchers from the SpM FNS-MI. This interview takes place in Montpellier or, if the candidate is far away, by audiovisual means. Part of the interview is conducted in English.

Applicants for external funding must submit their application to the SpM FNS-MI early enough to allow the jury to make a decision within a timeframe compatible with the deadlines of their application for external funding.

Accomodation

In Kourou, accommodation is provided by AgroParisTech.

In Nancy, AgroParisTech has a student residence; the city also offers many possibilities for student accommodation.
For the sequence at HEC Paris, MINA (7B boulevard Jourdan in Paris 14e) can accommodate auditors.
AgroParisTech Montpellier does not have a student residence, but students can be accommodated at the SupAgro residence.

AgroParisTech has a student residence; MINA (7B boulevard Jourdan in Paris 14e) SupAgro residence.

To find out more about other AgroParisTech Specialized Masters courses

Visit the page of AgroParisTech SPECIALIZED MASTERS

Background and aims

Natural areas, and particularly forest ecosystems, present major environmental and sustainable development challenges: climate change, biodiversity, combat against desertification, soil protection, regulation of hydro-systems, which are the central challenges that modern day society is tentatively trying to overcome. Tropical forest ecosystems are under previously unrivalled pressures for the mobilisation of their resources and for the appropriation of their territories: 80% of tropical forests have disappeared due to agriculture, in particular because of the major industrial and export crops (soya beans, cattle, oil palms, cocoa,...), but also for their underground mineral reserves. On the other hand, in Europe, woodlands are increasing, due to a context of decreasing rural demographic pressure and the emergence of new social demands: fuelwood and biomass, sport and leisure, health and well-being, landscape...

It is necessary today both to understand and know how to act upon three very closely linked levels of intervention: local, national and international.

In order to address the pressures that weigh upon natural spaces, the Specialized Master "Forest, Nature and Society – International Management" (SpM FNS-MI) is a one year post master course with a deliberate emphasis on humanities (economic, social and management sciences) as applied to natural resources, rather than biotechnical disciplines.

The ability to regulate, through public action, the social and environmental responsibility of companies in relation to ecosystems (environmental entrepreneurship) is central to the careers that this SM prepares its auditors for, in order to ensure the control and preservation of environmental services that ecosystems and biodiversity generate. This training caters to the needs of employers in the public and parapublic sectors, as well as to private companies (large, medium and small companies, consultancies etc.) and organisations (international organisations, NGOs, foundations, associations, etc...) who are faced with these new challenges and are looking to develop, in particular globally, by meeting the environmental requirements of their actions and developing innovative environmental strategies

General course description

The post-master degree course "Forest, Nature and Society – International Management" is proposed as a Specialized Master accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE) since 2002. It is partially based on the former specialised master in forestry sciences (taught initially by AgroParisTech in Nancy from 1988 to 2002), as well as on the Gestion environnementale des écosystèmes et forêts tropicales (GEEFT) team of AgroParisTech centre in Montpellier. It has since strengthened its bonds with the international network: Agropolis in Montpellier, AgroParisTech in Kourou (French Guyana) and with certain management schools, in particular HEC in Paris.

The SpM FNS-MI is open to those who hold a master’s degree (graduates of engineering schools, universities and management schools) either as a continuation of their studies or in order to resume education after having carried out a professional activity. The lessons are held in French and English (75% and 25% respectively).

Since 2018, the training has been registered in the National Directory of Professional Certifications (RNCP) with the title of Expert in strategy and negotiation for international ecosystem management, conferred upon obtaining the SpM FNS-MI. This opens up the possibility of acquiring this professional certification by means of validation of acquired experience (VAE).

The SM FNS-MI is a twelve to fourteen month course structured around educational progression which allows the learning of thematic and academic subject areas based in four different teaching sites:

Ecological issues surrounding topical forest ecosystems at the AgroParisTech centre of Kourou, (French Guyana);
Discovery of sustainable management of forests and the key figures in the forestry sector at the AgroParisTech centre of Nancy, historically one of the key French sites of higher education in forestry;
The strategic vision needed to implement changes in business, innovation and human resources management at HEC Paris, within the framework of the Master of Sciences “Sustainability and Social Innovation” (MSc SASI);

The foundations of the theoretical and practical frameworks in social and management sciences for the governance of ecosystems at the international level, with a practical application in the context of an environmental management intervention abroad during the courses at the AgroParisTech centre of Montpellier.

Thus, one of the important issues of this specialized master is to allow auditors not only to broaden their knowledge and to implement critical analysis capabilities, but also to carry out collective skills projects in environmental management. Therefore they have, throughout the course, the possibility to undertake several group workshops, culminating in a collective field-study in an international context. Over the course of five weeks, including three weeks of overseas assignment, the auditors will participate (i) in the implementation of the theories and analytical methods of environmental management; (ii) in the development of a critical capacity to analyse existing management devices; (iii) in reflection on concrete intervention strategies and (iv) in a return of feedback on the position of intervention in a multicultural context.

The course ends with the preparation of an individual project, namely the completion of a professional internship, lasting between four and six months, to be undertaken either in France or overseas, during which each auditor is required to apply his academic achievements and practices in a professional environment (firm, company, design office, research institute, association, NGO, international organisation, administrative organisation, public institution, local authority...) and finally the writing and presentation of a professional thesis.

Multidisciplinarity, core training and skills

The SpM FNS-MI programme is based on an active network of international partners in France and overseas (Europe, Africa, America, Asia). This is made possible through (1) a firm base in Montpellier which is the primary French pole of excellence for research in ecology and biodiversity, (2) a structural connection with the centres in Kourou and Nancy, (3) collaboration with the MSc SASI of HEC Paris.

The programme is rooted in multidisciplinarity by its double inscription in two departments of AgroParisTech: the Department of Social Economics and Management (SESG) through its Training and Research Unit in Environmental Management (UFR G-ENV), and the department of Science and Agronomic Engineering, Forestry, Water and Environment (SIAFEE) through its Training and Research Unit in Forest, Tree and Natural Environments (FAM).

The learning methods and theoretical frameworks taught, rooted in social and management sciences, provide auditors with diagnostic and assessment tools for environmental management, in particular for the management of forests and other ecosystems, and high level responsibility on conceptual and intervention tools. During the programme, three collective field modules are organized, in Guyana, in France and overseas (in recent years: the Balkans, Morocco, India). The auditors therefore work in a multidisciplinary team and, by virtue of their previous education, will develop managerial skills and build up a network of relations with the stakeholders involved in the projects, all in a multicultural context.

Individual tutoring is provided throughout the course and an academic and methodological framework is set up during the fieldwork. Auditors are encouraged to develop their language skills (both oral and written) in French and English and are urged to become fluent in at least two languages.

The specialised master's programme allows the acquisition of six target skill sets, as defined by the RNCP Certification:

Improve the monitoring of tropical ecosystems management
Improve the monitoring of forest management and assess economically projects of sustainable forest management
Critically analyse environmental policies and improve the involvement of public and private specialised stakeholders in this field of action
Negotiate and design environmental evaluations
Design an environmental management strategy and develop an expertise in ecosystems management
Implement, manage and evaluate a program: 1) of conservation or protection of the environment; 2) of ecosystems management; 3) of corporate and social economy related to natural resources, within a multicultural team in an international context.

Target groups

Educational strategy and course programme

Duration and distribution of courses

The course consists of 760 hours of teaching from September to April, plus four to six months of professional mission and is worth 77 ECTS. The number of hours and the way ECTS are awarded are subject to change over the years.
The course is divided into teaching units (UE) as follows:

• Tropical rainforest (Kourou, French Guyana) : 100 h (5 ECTS) including 2 weeks of field project.

• Forest policy (Nancy) : 40 h (4 ECTS).

• Forest and Environmental law (Nancy) : 20 h (1 ECTS).

• Economic calculation applied to forest (Nancy) : 40 h (4 ECTS).

• Basics of forest management (Nancy): 70 h (2 ECTS) including a week-long forest field mission in France Region.

• Geomatics (Nancy) : 40 h (2 ECTS).

• Professional project support : 20 h (pas d’ECTS).

• Sustainability and Social Innovation (Paris) : 36 h (9 ECTS).

• Governance and ecosystems management strategies in an international context (Montpellier) : 189 h (14 ECTS).

• International strategic environmental evaluation (Montpellier) : 180 h (6 ECTS) including 3 weeks of overseas fieldwork.

• Environmental evaluation in an international context: Principles and methods : 25 h (2 ECTS)

• Professional internship : between 616 h and 910 h (30 ECTS).

The total duration of the course is between 12 and 14 months: 8 months of academic teaching and projects, plus 4 to 6 months of professional internship.

Educational strategy

The general principle of the programme is to provide education centred on the social and management sciences (complemented by political sciences and economics) as applied to the management of ecosystems. The training also proposes an in-depth study of environmental management within the field of competence of engineering and life sciences graduates, and a dual competence for graduates of management or engineering schools. The detailed objectives are:

To provide frameworks for analysis and evaluation in the field of environmental management in the context of globalisation, in particular for the management of wilderness and forests. This allows auditors to acquire high-responsibility conceptual and interventional tools ;
Acquisition and understanding of knowledge-based social sciences methods, the ability to analyse the different mainstream schools of thought and controversies in order to be able to intervene in processes of governance and organisational changes for the management of these environments;
An understanding of the processes of globalisation of enterprises and production streams (global value chains), the strategies of companies and organisations (states, international organisations and NGOs), in particular strategies of competition, cooperation and coopetition that are established both between firms and public and private actors in globalised sectors, as well as the phenomena of the emergence, structuring and diffusion of the standards that guide their actions, in particular regarding sustainable development and corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR);
The ability to diagnose a situation from a global analytical viewpoint (multi-scalar and multidisciplinary) and then formulate advice and proposals for problem solving;
The development of the skills of analysis and synthesis in a team situation as well as the ability to produce and submit work to stakeholders, particularly in a multicultural context, by adapting its production to the target audience;
The testing of management tools and methodologies in order to strengthen their managerial capabilities whilst also being introspective on their capacity to respond; the ability to understand and analyse negotiation situations and to improve their own negotiation skills particularly in multicultural situations and when faced with complex intervention contexts.

Diversity of auditors is privileged, in particular by:

The recruitment of graduates from different engineering courses, major management schools, or university masters, and young professionals wishing to develop and broaden their skills;
The welcoming of foreign auditors from countries where the issues of tropical ecosystems are pressing or international auditors attracted by French expertise in the sector;
The reciprocal valorisation of the qualifications and the encouraging of exchanges of knowledge and skills.

The educational methods used are:

Responsibility towards real-life situations and small group exercises in complex areas, in response to operational commands (generally from the public sector) followed by written and oral presentations which will serve to strengthen the reputation and the expertise of AgroParisTech and its graduates;
The collective training module of strategic environmental evaluation is very closely supervised (in terms tutoring and professionals involvement and the time spent on analysis, before departure in the field and upon return) in order to fast track the acquisition of skills which are normally can only be learnt in a professional environment;
The use of diverse evaluation methods, adapted to the context of the module: completion of mini-projects, role-playing games, public dissemination to stakeholders, environmental impact assessment exercises supervised by consultancy professionals, analysis of scientific articles , skills acquisition assessments, foreign language presentations, etc...;
Case studies conducted throughout the course ;
The organisation of seminars of researchers and professionals, sometimes in English, often open to a wider audience than just the auditors,

The development of significant individual professional experience (several months) through the professional internship mission and the presentation of the final thesis; preparation of a project of professional internship, in order to ensure the quality of the analysis and the methodology of the mission before departure in the field.

Employment opportunities

Contacts

Academic informations

VENDÉ Jérémy
Academic director of the SpM FNS-MI
jeremy.vende @ agroparistech.fr

Dr. LEROY Maya
Scientific director of the SpM FNS-MI
maya.leroy @ agroparistech.fr

Administratives informations

SALAS Murielle
Course assistant
murielle.salas @ agroparistech.fr

Program Content

Programme 2021-2022 (in french)
Modules description

APPLICATION

SEE ALL COURSES

As soon as I graduated, I was recruited by The Forest Trust, an international organisation whose mission is to transform the value chains of forestry and agribusiness companies towards more responsible environmental and social practices. This transformation is possible thanks to strong policies (such as Zero Deforestation and Zero Exploitation of Communities) but also through the effective collaboration of the different actors of these chains. Today, I manage the Rurality programme, dedicated to independent producers in these value chains. The training has given me both the necessary hindsight for a strategic understanding of the interplay of actors when it comes to negotiating around natural resources, but it also equips students with the pragmatism and realities of the field, which are essential for achieving concrete results.

I am currently a project officer at CANARI (Caribbean Natural Resources Institute), where I participate in the development of biodiversity conservation strategies for the territories of the Caribbean region, and more generally in the integration of civil society actors, especially the most vulnerable, in the management of natural resources, on which they depend in some cases (fisheries resources, forestry, etc.). The training allowed me to add to my scientific expertise the necessary understanding of the socio-cultural and political context and to apply it to each situation in order to develop the best possible integrated and participatory approach.

After completing my internship in the FNS-MI specialised master's programme, I joined the forestry and agriculture division of the Guadeloupe Department of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (DAAF), which is a decentralised department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The DAAF's mission is to implement the national policy on food, agriculture and forestry at the regional level. Today, my job is to support the emergence of two agroforestry sectors in Guadeloupe (coffee, cocoa) while respecting responsible environmental and social practices. The FNS-MI training course, by applying knowledge to concrete projects such as the one we carried out in the Balkans during the group course, enabled me to obtain this position. I was also able to acquire a new foundation in social sciences and management, which now allows me to evolve more easily in the field as well as in meetings.

I have been passionate about environmental issues since I was a teenager and easily fell into the mould of studying environmental engineering. Energy management? Waste recycling ? Land use planning ? How difficult it is to embrace one career and abandon the others! It was finally during a university exchange in Canada that I discovered the appeal of wide open spaces and forestry management. This is the field that brings together global environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity management with the more local issues of energy access, soil erosion and water quality. So here it is, this field that indiscriminately mixes environment and social issues. It was love at first sight. All that remained was to make the engagement official, which was done thanks to the specialised master's degree in Forest, Nature and Society, with the option of Management, Nature and Society at International Level.

In addition to the basics in forest management, this training mainly opened up the social sciences (which are not the forte of engineers...). A very good point: the theory was immediately put into practice through the many projects in Europe or in more tropical countries. And thanks to the AgroParisTech network, I was able to do my end-of-studies internship in the NGO that still employs me today. I am working on the implementation of a forestry project with small farmers in a poor region of China. An extraordinary job, between office and field trips, in a beautiful region (with extra food), which combines all the aspects that motivate me. The honeymoon continues...