CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Francis Alemanji ForziTel: 00237 7795 63 38 00237 7794 57 78 Nationality: Cameroonian Sex: Male E-mail: [email protected] RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Agricultural and Forest Entomology
- Effects of Soil Macrofauna on Soil Fertility - Pests Management
- Avian Diseases HIGHER EDUCATION Department of Agronomy,
University of Uyo, Nigeria 1989 – 1993 (4years) Ref: UU/REG/DAA/161/9514
Fax: 234-85-2O2694 University Degree in Agronomy WORK EXPERIENCE
2006 – Present International Research Associate
Center for Tropical Research Institute of the Environment
University of California Los Angeles
- Sampling domestic and wild bird communities across a range of agricultural and natural habitats in the Far North Province of Cameroon during critical winter season when long distance palearctic migratory birds are present to determine Avian influenza prevalence
- Looking at the relationship between bird species, vegetation type and habitat in cocoa plantations in Southern Cameroon.
- Collecting blood, cloacal and tracheal samples and morphometric data from both wild and domestic birds for DNA and RNA analysis and screening.
- Radio-tagging Hornbills in the Kompia Community Forest in the
periphery of the Dja Biosphere Reserve to monitor their migratory patterns in the Congo Basin Rain Forest.
- Surveillance of the Swine Influenza Virus, AH1NI and other swine diseases in Cameroon.
2003 – 2005 Researcher
Association for the Rural Development of Community Forests (ADERFOC) CAMEROON
- Conception of all on-farm research programs
- Encouraging the active participation of the rural population in the sustainability of community forests.
- Initiating pre-nursery and nursery establishment schemes in rural areas to replace trees cut down for timber and fuel.
- Sensitising rural communities on the advantages of animal rearing as an alternative source of proteins to protect endangered wild life due to poaching.
- Training trainers of Environmental Education in the field. Most of them have been absorbed by Non-Governmental Organisations and Common Initiative Groups.
2001 – 2003 Environmental Monitor Chad – Cameroon Pipeline Project
- Supervising tree felling along the pipeline making sure that seeds from rare and
endangered tree species are collected and replanted in project nurseries for sustainability. - Monitoring wildlife along the pipeline and surrounding forest and suggesting
conservation strategies to Management - Establishing plant pre-nurseries and nurseries - Implementing Risks Assessment procedures - Identifying potential risks and unsafe practises - Preparing Job Safety Analysis schemes
2000 – 2001 Research Assistant
Tropenbos Cameroun Programme (TCP)
The TCP was established in 1992 by the Cameroonian Ministry of the Environment and Forest (MINEF) and the Tropenbos International The Netherlands with the objective to develop methods and strategies for national forest management directed at a sustainable production of commercial tree species and other forest products and services, methods that have to be ecologically sound, socially acceptable and economically viable.
- Assessing pests incidence on 22 commercial tree species in Southern Cameroon - Sampling and collecting insect pests in the humid forest zone using various methods including Pitfall traps, Light Traps, Sweep Nets, Malays Trap, Banana baits, Blood baits and faecal baits
- Identifying insects of commercial tree species
- Evaluating insect pest damages in natural forests as a prerequisite to assess the need for control measures through a sound silvicultural system
- Supervising a Fourth year Forestry student of the University of Dschang on
pre-professional internship. Project title, ‘Evaluation of insect damages on seedlings and saplings on 4 commercial tree species: Iroko(Milicia excelsa), Doussie Blanc(Afzelia pachybola), Ngollon(Khaya ivorensis), Bibolo(Lovoa trachilioides), probable causes and perspectives on their natural regeneration.’
- Establishing an insect museum
- Preparing unidentified insect specimens for exportation to specialised laboratories for identification
- Assisting in data analysis and final draft report 1999 – 2001 Research Assistant
Research & Crop Management Division (RCMD) Below-Ground Biodiversity Programme
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture(IITA), Cameroon
IITA is one of the international research institutes under the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) funded by the World Bank and the
Consortium of International Donor Agencies and 44 other countries.
This programme was carried out in collaboration with the Wageningen Agricultural
University and the Institute for Agricultural Research and Development(IRAD) Cameroon - Monitoring the role of soil macrofauna as bio-indicators of soil stability and fertility in different ecosystems.
- Executing strategies and methods for termites, earthworms and ants sampling in different land use systems (arable crops. cocoa plantations, fallows and forests).
- Looking at the effect of soil macrofauna activities on crop production in different land uses in the savannah and humid forests zones
- Collecting and identifying insect pests from savannas and forests. 1998 – 1999 Research Assistant
Plant Health Management Division (PHMD)
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cameroon
- Involved in studies that looked into the distribution and activity of termites and earthworms of soil properties in alley cropping and mixed cropping and their contribution to nutrient recycling and amelioration in different land uses
- Assisting Senior Researchers in an in depth look into the effect of insect pests on banana production with a particular attention on banana weevils.
- Sampling, collecting and identifying insect pests.
- Preparing unidentified insect samples for storage and subsequent transportation to specialised laboratories for identification
1994 – 1998 Field Research Assistant
UK Natural Environment Research Council,
Terrestrial Initiative in Global Environmental Research Programme (UK NERC TIGER Programme)
This programme was financed by British Museum of Natural History and supervised by Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College, University of London.
Its main activities was to assess termite activities on soil properties and termites distribution across a forest gradient and their contribution on the level of methane in the atmosphere. - Selecting experimental sites in different land uses for termites sampling in
Southern Cameroon
- Laying out experimental designs in the different land uses in Southern Cameroon - Looking at methane emission by termites and oxidation by soils across a forest disturbance gradient in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Cameroon
- Assisted a Ph.D student on Insect Ecology in data collection and data analysis 1992 – 1993 Preprofessional internship at NationalRroot an Tuber Crops Research Institute Umudike , Nigeria (Feb – May 1992)
The National Root and Tuber Crops Research Institute, Umudike conceives and develop research strategies in vitro and in vivo in modern techniques of root and tuber crops
production. Findings from this institute have made thief impact worldwide.
- Assisting in tissue culture techniques in tuber and root crops (cassava, yams, potatoes, ginger and carrots) multiplication.
Preprofessional internship at the Federal College of Agriculture Umudike, Nigeria(April – July 1993))
The Federal College of Agrriculture(Now Federal University of Agriculture) Umudike is a higher institution of learning that offers courses in all domains in Agriculture leading to the award of Ordinary National Diplomas(OND) and Higher National Diplomas (HND) in Agricultural Sciences
- Teaching OND and HND students how to collect and prepare soil samples for analysis. - Taking part in the establishment of the college experimental citrus nursery
PUBLICATIONS
- Lindsey Norgrove; Csaba Csuzdi; Francis Forzi; Mélanie Canet & John Gounes (2009). Shifts in soil faunal community structure in shaded cacao agroforests and
consequences for ecosystem function in Central Africa. International Society for Tropical Ecology, Vol 50 No.1.
- MacDonald, D.A; Eggleton, P; Bignell, D. E; Forzi F. A. & Fowler, D. (1998). Methane emission by termites and oxidation by soils across a forest disturbance gradient in the
Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Cameroon. Global Change Biology, 4, 409 – 419.
- Dibog Luc; Eggleton, P & Francis Forzi (1998). Seasonality of soil termites in a humid tropical forest, Mbalmayo, Southern Cameroon. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 14, 841-850 REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS
- Dennis Anye Ndeh; Thomas V, Dietsch; Francis A. Forzi; Jean Michel Takuo and Seraphin-Blaise Menzapoh (2007) Surveillance of Avian Influenza (H5N1) in wild and domestic birds in the far North Province of Cameroon. Summary report submitted to the Cameroon Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation.
- Foahom B; Forzi F.A and Kouankam N. (2002). Insect pest incidence on timber tree species in natural forest in South Cameroon. The Trpenbos-Cameroon Programme, Kribi. Tropenbos Cameroon Documents 12, 55pp,
- Forzi F. A (1994) Soil profile study of the University of Uyo Commercial farm Use-Offot South Eastern Nigreria , B,Agric. Agronomy thesis
- Forzi F. A.(1984) Tropical legumes, resources for the future. Seminar paper presented as partial fulfilment for the award of the B,Agric. Agronomy Degree
- Forzi F. A (1992) Meat production strategies and cattle milk processing and
transformation in the TOFAMID FARMS Ogoja, Nigeria. Pre-professional report presented to the University of Uyo Nigeria
- Forzi, F. A.; Essama J. E. & Minlend J (2004) Soil erosion control, the case of the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline. Research proposal submitted to COTCO
SHORT COURSES / TRAINING
November 2003 Training on ‘Environmental Impact & Risks Assessment’ offered by Apave France, supervised by ADRH-APAVE Cameroon with the award of a certificate February 2001 Course on Safety, Health and Environment organized by Centre Technique de L’APAVE SUD France. Award of Certificate.
December 2001 Course on General Orientation, Health, Safety, Security, Socio-economy & Environment(GEO+H3SE) offered by the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Project.
REFERENCES
- Dr. Thomas B Smith, Director, Professor EEB, Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California Los Angeles La Kretz Hall, Suite 300 Box 951496 Los Angeles, California 90096-1496 USA Tel: (310) 206-4712
E-mail: [email protected]
- Dr. Thomas V Dietsch, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California Los Angeles, La Kretz Hall, Suite 300 Box 951496 Los Angeles, California 90096-1496 USA Tel: (310) 625-5446 E-mail: [email protected]
- Prof John H Lawton FRS, Director, Center for Population Biology, Imperial College
at Silwood Park, University of London Ascots, Berks SL5 7PY, Tel: 01344 294354 E-mail: [email protected]
- Prof. David E. Bignell, School of Biological Sciences, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, Mile End Road London E1 4NS, UK Tel: 020 7882 3008 E-mail: [email protected]
