The concept of resilience refers to an individual’s or commu-nity’s ability to overcome a crisis or shock, adapt, and recover despite difficulties. However, amid all the talk about “show-ing resilience,” especially in political rhetoric, some have come to view it primarily as a means of justifying and main-taining a neoliberal model of social organization. Another, more nuanced approach views resilience as a fabricatedpro-cess shaped by power dynamics and relationships between different actors.

The term “Anthropocene” refers to the significant impact of human activities on the earth, affecting everything from climate to biodiversity. this controversial concept has spread from the natural sciences to the social sciences, raising political, cultural and ethical issues. Although it sheds light on the pressures that globalisation places on ecosystems, it has nevertheless been criticized for glossing over historical inequalities and power relations. this has led to the emergence of alternative concepts, such as the capitalocene and the plantationocene. Ruashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRc) is a prime example of these tensions, embodying the contradictions of the Anthropocene through pollution, soil depletion, social inequalities, and neo-colonial legacies.

The forest is often imagined as a wooded area, sometimes with or without birds and animals. However, the significance of forests extends beyond the visual experience. this perception is greatly influenced by cultural, economic, political, social and scientific factors. this contribution outlines the various meanings that have developed around the concept of forest. Drawing on a case study, it also explains how this concept is operationalized in practice and the resulting conflicts that arise when multiple meanings converge in a given situation.