Chidiebere Ofoegbu

Sustainability and multifunctionality: Forests are managed for diverse ecosystem services and goods for the benefits of society. My research in multifunctional forest management draws from the principle of sustainability to provide stakeholders with insight on how forests can be managed to consistently provide ecosystem services and goods. I am thus interested in investigating how forests can be used and managed without threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services. These divergent goals require a broad understanding of ecological interactions in nature

Forest ecosystems and socioecological interactions: My research aims to improve the understanding of the interactions between forest ecosystems and socioecological systems as truly interdependent and complex adaptive systems.   Humans shape the forest ecosystems through a wide range of activities. I try to understand the key socioecological interactions that may explain why some forest ecological systems changes and some do not.  In this regard, I am interested in understanding not only how human actions changes forest ecosystems functionality across scales but also in how changes in forest ecosystems may influence changes in human behavior

Forest policy and governance: Forest management is regulated by a plethora of international, regional and national policies with sometimes-competing objectives and management paradigms. The inconsistency between policies may negatively affect the sustainability and multifunctionality of forests. To avoid overuse and unintentional ecosystem changes, this multi-functionality has to be addressed when developing forest management strategies and policies. My research in this regard draws from the sustainability domain to analyze micro-levels (individuals, consumers, citizens) and Meso levels (collectives, movements, groups, initiatives, networks) decision-making process, their link to macro-levels actions and impact on the functionality of the forest ecosystem.

Forest economics and forest enterprise development: Forests can be managed for multiple benefits ranging from extractive (e.g. timber) and non-extractive (e.g. recreation, carbon sequestration) uses to non-use values. My interest is to investigate under what conditions forest management can provide the greatest sustainable benefits to society taking into account the market and nonmarket value of forest resources. By examining the benefits and trade-offs associated with tangible and intangible consequences of forest management decisions, my research strives to guide stakeholders on forestland management, resource utilization and public policy.

Ofoegbu, C., New, M. Collaboration Relations in Climate Information Production and Dissemination to Subsistence Farmers in Namibia. Environmental Management (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01383-5

Ofoegbu, C., and Chirwa P.W. 2019. Exploring the potential for green growth uptake in the South African forest sector. Regional Environmental Change, DOI: 10.1007/s10113-019-01490-y

Ofoegbu, C., Chirwa P.W. 2018. Analysis of rural people’s attitude towards the management of tribal forests in South Africa. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, DOI:10.1080/10549811.2018.1554495

Ofoegbu, C., New, M., Kibet, S. 2018. The Effect of Inter-Organisational Collaboration Networks on Climate Knowledge Flows and Communication to Pastoralists in Kenya. Sustainability, 10(11), 4180; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10114180

Ofoegbu, C., New, M., Nyamwanza, A.M. Dian, S. 2018. Understanding the current state of collaboration in the production and dissemination of adaptation knowledge in Namibia.  Environ Dev Sustain (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0231-y

Ofoegbu C, P.W. Chirwa, J. Francis, F. Babalola. 2018. Assessing local-level forest use and management capacity as a climate-change adaptation strategy in the Vhembe district of South Africa. Climate and Development, DOI:10.1080/17565529.2018.1447904

Ofoegbu C, & Chinwe Ifejika Speranza. 2017. Assessing rural peoples’ intention to adopt sustainable forest use and management practices in South Africa. Journal of sustainable forestry, doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2017.1365612.

Ofoegbu C, P.W. Chirwa, J. Francis, F. Babalola. 2017. Assessing the vulnerability of rural communities to climate change: a review of implications for forest-based livelihoods in South Africa", International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 9 Issue: 3, DOI: 10.1108/IJCCSM-04-2016-0044

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-chidiebere-ofoegbu-94533a59/

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=dJRTyNgAAAAJ&hl=en

Research gate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chidiebere_Ofoegbu/contributions

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8920-9411