Roland Bourdeix

Dr. Bourdeix led a number of projects and expert missions related to coconut agriculture in more than forty tropical countries. From 2000 to 2014, he worked on behalf the Coconut Research Programme of CIRAD and the CEFE Research Unit "Bio cultural interactions" in Montpellier, France. From 2011 to 2013, he coordinated the International Coconut Genetic resources Network (COGENT), now gathering 41 coconut producing countries. In 2014, he joined the Research Unit AGAP (Genetic Improvement of Mediterranean and Tropical Plants) and its scientific team DDSE (Dynamics of diversity, societies and environments).The themes of his research has gradually evolved from genetics to a multidisciplinary approach integrating ethnology and multifonctional landscape management. To understand the diversity of crops, we need to look not only for plants but also to humans who cultivate them and their cultural specificities.
In 2005, he created the Diversiflora Publishing Corporation and released as author several books, including one on coconut (http://diversiflora.blogspot.fr/). He has also given numerous public lectures on the cultural and economic aspects of the coconut tree (http://conferencecocotier.blogspot.fr/). Dr. Roland Bourdeix is also the President of Diversiflora International (http://diversiflora-international.blogspot.fr).

R. Bourdeix, et al. 2016. Global coconut communities - status and strategies in in situ diversity management and utilization. In: Coconut – global status and perspectives. Central Plantation Crop Research Institute, Kasaragod, India. In press.