Professor D.U.U. Okali was born in 1936 at Abiriba in Abia State, Nigeria. He is an Emeritus Professor of Forest Ecology at the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and the immediate past President of the Nigerian Academy of Science. He retired from the University of Ibadan in 2001 after 38 years of university teaching, research and administration, having taught, supervised and mentored many Nigerians and non-Nigerians now in prominent positions in national and international service.
Besides contributing to the development of high calibre human resources as above, Professor Okali has helped to advance knowledge in many aspects of tropical forest ecology, principally on tree growth rates and water relations, forest hydrology, rain forest regeneration and applied ecology in agro-forestry. He has been in the forefront of the development of national awareness and action on environmental resources management and conservation. As Chairman of the National Committee of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in Nigeria from 1978 to 2001, he was instrumental to organizing studies, workshops and state of knowledge publications on the major Nigerian biomes of rain forest, savanna, and wetlands. A comprehensive survey of the biodiversity of rain forest at Omo Biosphere Reserve was also accomplished under his chairmanship of the MAB National Committee. He carried out the forest studies leading to the setting up of the Cross River National Park as a conservation area of international importance being contiguous with the Korup National Park in Cameroun. Studies led by Professor Okali produced a comprehensive inventory of the biodiversity as well as guidelines for the wise use of the resources of the Hadejia Nguru Wetlands, contributing to the selection of that site as the first Ramsar site in Nigeria. His current contribution to environmental management focuses on the topical issue of climate change, in which he is leading project work on building Nigeria’s response to the global problem. The project seeks to identify adaptation options that will enhance the national effort at combating poverty while reducing our contribution to causing the problem and the risks from its impact.
On institutional building, Professor Okali participated in the founding, and has remained a principal driver of the highly effective environmental non-governmental organization, the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), and as President of the Nigerian Academy of Science (2006 – 2009), he mobilized the scientific community in the country to interface with government, the public, the private sector and international bodies. He has served and still serves in national and international policy-making bodies such as committees of the Federal Ministries of Environment and Science and Technology, member Advisory Group of UNDP Africa 2000 Network Programme (1989 – 1995), member Expert Panel on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) with regard to Genetic Resources, UN Convention on Biodiversity (1999), and the Board of the African Forest Research Network (AFORNET).
Professor Okali was a Visiting Professor of Agroforestry at Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1987; Visiting Professor of Tropical Forest Ecology, also at Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, July - December, 1983; Visiting Professor in Ecology, Imo State University, January - June, 1983; and Head, Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ibadan, 1979 -1982. His other organizational and administrative experiences include among others: Member, Advisory Panel and Steering Committee, NigeriaCAN (2008 to date); Member expert Panel on Climate Change, African Forest Forum (2009 to date); Chairman, Project Steering Committee and Co-Director Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change (BNRCC) Project, funded by CIDA, (2007 to date); Vice-President, Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) (2007 – 2009 ); President, Nigerian Field Society (2005 to 2010); Chairman, Project Management Team, Canada-Nigeria Climate Change Capacity Development Project (2001-2004); Chairman, Steering Committee of Nigeria NGO Consultative Forum (NINCOF) (1995 – 2000); Member Expert List for the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) (1993); Member Board of Directors of Earthcare Africa, Nairobi, Kenya (1993); Member International Advisory Group for the Population Programme of the MacArthur Foundation (1992); Member Focal Point Secretariat for UNCED National Report (1991); Member Editorial Boards of Journal of Tropical Forest Resources, Journal of Tropical Ecology (1985-1992), Forest Ecology & Management (1978-1982), Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, The Nigerian Field, Nigerian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences and Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology; Chairman, Management Board of the Zoological Garden, University of Ibadan (1981-1984); and Member, Forestry Commission, Imo State (1978-1980).
His professional affiliations, fellowships and honours include: FAO Fellow, Oxford University, (1966-1968); Member, British Ecological Society (1961 -2000); Member, Ecological Society of Nigeria; Member, Agricultural Society of Nigeria; Member, Nigerian Field Society; Yamani Fellow, University College of North Wales, Bangor, UK, (1988); Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science (FAS); Fellow, Forestry Association of Nigeria (FFAN); Fellow, Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS); Member, New York Academy of Sciences; and D.Sc.(Honoris Causa), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (2009).
Professor Okali supervised so many students both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He was equally an external examiner to many universities both within and outside Nigeria; and an assessor for professorship and associate professorship (readership) to so many universities. He has consulted for several reputable organisations including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), African Academy of Science (AAS), AFORNET, World Bank, UK Department for International Development (DFID), Commonwealth Foundation, African Forest Forum, and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). He has over 160 high quality publications to his credit. Professor Okali is married with five children.
Source: Chima, U.D. (2012).
Career Prospects in Forestry and Wildlife
Management. Emhai Publishing Company, Port Harcourt, 255pp. ISBN: 978 –
33527 – 09 – 2
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