researchgate : https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vincent-Porcher

ORCID: 0000-0003-2879-6728

Background & current project in a nutshell

During my PhD (2023, Autonomous University of Barcelona) I addressed the intra-cultural distribution of local ecological knowledge on wild edible plants among small-scaled societies in Madagascar with a particular focus on children's knowledge and culture. The main contribution of this research was the intersectional approach (including both gender and life stages) and the development of children's adapted tools to catch complex ecological knowledge with a sensitive approach. During my PhD, I worked as part of an ERC project exploring Local Indicators for Climate Change Impacts (LICCI) worldwide including 48 different Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs). As a Postdoctoral researcher, I am currently working on a meta-analysis of this data to understand the drivers of local agrobiodiversity dynamics including climate change, and cultural and socioeconomic dimensions.

Keywords

Themes: Food system, Wild edible plants, Climate change perceptions and adaptation, Traditional agriculture, Taxonomy, Local ecological knowledge distribution, Knowledge transfer, Knowledge system resilience, Intersectional approaches, Children’s culture and Cultural learning, Children ethnoecology. 

Countries: Madagascar/Indonesia (Sulawesi)/ western Amazonia (Peru, Ecuador)

Methods: Statistical modelling with R, GIS, surveys, mixed method of interviews, voucher, botanical illustration and taxonomy.

Education and research experiences

2024-2026 : Postdoctoral fellow at Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 Montpellier, France. IRD – CNRS.

2019-2023: PhD at ICTA-UAB, Barcelona, Spain and UMR SENS, IRD, Montpellier, France,

with distinction: Cum Laude. Under the supervision of Victoria Reyes-García (ICREA, ICTA-UAB),

Stéphanie Carrière (IRD- UMR SENS) and Sandrine Gallois (ICTA-UAB).

2019-2023: Researcher in the LICCI research project "Local Indicators of Climate Change Impacts:

The contribution of local knowledge to climate change research", led by Victoria Reyes-García. European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC Consolidator Grant No 771056 LICCI). ICTA-UAB, Barcelona, Spain.

2022: Researcher at UMR SENS IRD, Montpellier, France and LMI Paysage, Antananarivo,

Madagascar. Field: ethnobotany, ethnoecology.

2017: Horticulture engineering diploma, Agrocampus-Ouest, Angers, France.

2017: MSc in Tropical Botany & Ethnoecology, AgroParisTech, University of Montpellier, France.

2017: Research Internship at Bioversity International Peru, under the supervision of Dr E. Thomas. Lima & Puerto Maldonado, Peru. Field: tropical ecology.

2016: Applied research Internship for WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), Parck Makira, Maroantsetra, Madagascar. Field: tropical forest reforestation.

2015: Forestry engineering diploma, UFPR, Curitiba, Brazil.

2014: Internship in phylogenetic at INRA, Angers, France. Field: phylogenetic.

2013: BTSA in Horticulture (2-year higher education diploma), at Agricampus, France.

Publications

Peer-reviewed journals:

Arrivabene, A., Lasic, L., Blanco, J., Carrière, S. M., Ladio, A., Caillon, S., Porcher, V., & Teixidor-Toneu, I. (2024). Ethnobiology’s Contributions to Sustainability Science. Journal of Ethnobiology, 0(0).

Porcher, V., Gallois, S., Reyes‐García, V., Raketabakoly, S. C., Alvarez‐Fernández, S., & Carrière, S. M. (2024). How do young identify plants? Using the drawing method to explore early ethnobotanical knowledge in Madagascar. People and Nature.

Porcher, V., Li, X., Carrière, S. M., Alvarez-Fernandez, S., Cresson, D., Reyes-García, V., & Gallois, S. (2024). As Proficient as Adults: Distribution of Children’s Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants in an Arid Environment in Madagascar. Human ecology, 1-15.

Durand-Bessart, C., Akomo-Okoue, E. F., Ella, G. W. E., Porcher, V., Essono, P. Y. B., Bretagnolle, F., & Fontaine, C. (2024). Local people enhance our understanding of Afrotropical frugivory networks. Current Biology, 34(7), 1541-1548.

Galbraith, E. D., Barrington-Leigh, C., Miñarro, S., Álvarez-Fernández, S., Attoh, E. M., Benyei, P., Porcher, V., ... & Reyes-García, V. (2024). High life satisfaction reported among small-scale societies with low incomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(7), e2311703121.

Reyes-García, V., García-del-Amo, D., Álvarez-Fernández, S., Benyei, P., Calvet-Mir, L., Junqueira, A. B., Porcher, V., ... & Zakari, I. S. (2024). Indigenous Peoples and local communities report ongoing and widespread climate change impacts on local social-ecological systems. Communications Earth & Environment, 5(1), 29.

Reyes-García, V., García-Del-Amo, D., Porcuna-Ferrer, A., Schlingmann, A., Abazeri, M., Attoh, E. M., Porcher, V., ... & Torrents-Ticó, M. (2024). Local studies provide a global perspective of the impacts of climate change on Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Sustainable Earth Reviews, 7(1), 1.

Chambon, M., Miñarro, S., Alvarez Fernandez, S., Porcher, V., Reyes-Garcia, V., Tonalli Drouet, H., & Ziveri, P. (2024). A synthesis of women’s participation in small-scale fisheries management: why women’s voices matter. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 34(1), 43-63.

Reyes-García, V., Álvarez-Fernández, S., Benyei, P., García-del-Amo, D., Junqueira, A. B., Labeyrie, V., Li, X., Porcher, V., Porcuna-Ferrer, A. Schlingmann, A. and Soleymani, R. (2023). Local indicators of climate change impacts described by indigenous peoples and local communities: Study protocol. PLoS One, 18(1), e0279847.

Miara, M. D., Negadi, M., Tabak, S., Bendif, H., Dahmani, W., Ait Hammou, M., Sahnoun, T., Snorek, J., Porcher, V., Reyes-García, V. & Teixidor‐Toneu, I. (2022). Climate change impacts can be differentially perceived across time scales: A study among the Tuareg of the Algerian Sahara. GeoHealth, 6(11), e2022GH000620.

Schunko, C., Li, X., Klappoth, B., Lesi, F., Porcher, V., Porcuna-Ferrer, A., & Reyes-Garcia, V. (2022). Local communities’ perceptions of wild edible plant and mushroom change: A systematic review. Global Food Security, 32, 100601.

Porcher, V., Carrière, S. M., Gallois, S., Randriambanona, H., Rafidison, V. M., & Reyes-García, V. (2022). Growing up in the Betsileo landscape: Children’s wild edible plants knowledge in Madagascar. PloS one, 17(2), e0264147.

Porcher, V., Thomas, E., Gomringer, R. C., & Lozano, R. B. (2018). Fire-and distance-dependent recruitment of the Brazil nut in the Peruvian Amazon. Forest Ecology and Management, 427, 52-59.

Books (as editors):

Reyes-García, V., Álvarez-Fernández, S., Benyei, P., Calvet-Mir, L., García-del-Amo, D., Junqueira, A-B., Li, X., Porcher, V., Porcuna-Ferrer, A. Schlingmann, A. and Soleymani, R. (2024). Routledge Handbook of Climate Change Impacts on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (p. 446). Taylor & Francis.

PhD dissertation:

Porcher, V. (2023). Budding Botanists: Diversity and distribution of children's ethnobotanical knowledge in Madagascar. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientalshttp://hdl.handle.net/10803/691106

Booklets:

Porcher, V., Montesito, A. & Thomas, E. (2018) A field-guide for seedling identification of Bertholletia excelsa.

Conferences

Panel organization:

Durand-Bessart, C., Carrière, S. M., Porcher, V. (February 2024). Bridging Gaps: Integrating Local Ecological Knowledge in Tropical Ecology. The place of ethnoecology in tropical ecology. European Conference of Tropical Ecology 2024. Lisbon, Portugal.

Talks:

Porcher, V. (July 2024). Children's perception and plant identification knowledge: Using drawing to tackle emic perspective. Session 11. Beyond Plant Blindness: Bringing Plants Into the Foreground. XX International Botanical Congress (IBC 2024). Madrid, Spain.

Porcher, V. (May 2024). What makes people change? Understanding drivers of local agrobiodiversity dynamics and nutritional implications: A case study from Madagascar. Session 2.5.2. Agrobiodiversity: multiple-value and local knowledge. International Society of Ethnobiology Congress 2024 (ISE). Biodiversity & Cultural Landscapes: Scientific, Indigenous and Local Perspectives. Marrakech, Morocco.

Porcher, V. (May 2024). As proficient as adults Distribution of children’s knowledge of wild edible plants in the arid Mahafaly region. Session 2.8. Small-scale artisanal food production, innovation, and generational change. Indigenous and local food system production and protection in a rapidly changing world. International Society of Ethnobiology Congress 2024 (ISE). Biodiversity & Cultural Landscapes: Scientific, Indigenous and Local Perspectives. Marrakech, Morocco.

Porcher, V. as Invited speaker (March 2024). Creativity and transdisciplinary approaches into children sciences. Growth vs Climate Conference 2024. ICTA-UAB. Barcelona, Spain.

Porcher, V., Carrière, S. M., Gallois, S., Randriambanona, H., Rafidison, V. M., & Reyes-García, V. (November 2021). Children's wild edible plant knowledge in Madagascar: A case study with Betsileo children. HUMANITES ENVIRONNEMENTALES, Sciences, arts et citoyennetés face aux changements globaux. IRD Université Paul-Valéry. Montpellier, France.

Porcher, V., Li, X., Carrière, S. M., Alvarez-Fernandez, S., Cresson, D., Reyes-García, V., & Gallois, S. (August 2021). Wild edible plant knowledge distribution and children insight in food scarcity regions: Mahafaly people from southern Madagascar. Society for Economic Botany Summer Symposium. (Online).

Porcher, V., Carrière, S. M., Gallois, S. & Reyes-García, V. (May 2021). A hub within a biocultural mesh: Climate change in the Betsileo perception. 43rd conference of Society of Ethnobiology. (Online).

Porcher, V., Carrière, S. M., Gallois, S. & Reyes-García, V. (November 2019). Le Dessin d'enfant -Une approche artistique adaptée pour exprimer un monde complexe. Art for Science. Montpellier, France.