.jpg "Jules Christian Zekeng, Sr., Zekeng photo")
Researcher
Department of Forest Engineering, Advanced Teachers Training School for Technical Education, University of Douala, P.O Box 1872 Douala Cameroon
Douala, Littoral, Cameroon
Jules Christian Zekeng is a Researcher-Lecturer in the Department of Forest Engineering at the Higher Technical Teachers’ Training School, University of Douala, Cameroon, and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Chair of Environment and Development within the Oliver R. Tambo Research Chair Initiative at Copperbelt University (CBU-ORTARChI), Zambia. He is also a co-founder of the Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resources Management Network (CSNRM-Net).
Since 2013, Jules has worked with community forest user groups on forest protection and sustainable use, providing technical services, facilitating resource access, and supporting regulation. He empowers local populations through livelihood programs, capacity building, and inclusive conservation practices.
At CBU-ORTARChI, Jules analyzes socio-economic surveys, field inventory data, and laboratory results to understand ecosystem functioning and inform public policy. He also supervises Ph.D. and MSc students.
Jules’s commitment to conservation has been recognized through three Rufford Small Grants and the Ecologist for Africa grant from the British Ecological Society. His work in eastern Cameroon's Doumé and Angossas regions has involved capacity building, sustainable management practices, and awareness campaigns about threatened species, benefiting over 70villages.
Through CSNRM-Net, Jules and his team work with local indigenous people in communal forests such as Angossas, Doumaintang, Doumé, Bélabo, Ngoyla, and Mvangan, as well as within the Campo Ma’an National Park, to enhance forest discovery and conservation.
Balancing these roles in the three institutions allows Jules to integrate research, teaching, and practical conservation efforts effectively. He has authored over twenty scientific articles in high-impact journals and contributed to two book chapters, underscoring his dedication to advancing ecological research. Jules completed his Ph.D. in Botany and Ecology in 2020 at the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, and received a Ph.D. exchange scholarship through the TRECCAFRICA II project, funded by European Union, which supported part of his research at the University of Botswana in 2019.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM MST
