MMM3: Organising a scientific Committee

Organising Committee

Farid Dahdouh-Guebas has been involved in mangrove research since 1993, specialising in interdisciplinary studies on vegetation dynamics sensu lato, including causes and consequences on the level of plant-animal interactions, man-ecosystem interactions, climate change, restoration ecology and management.  Further research interests are in forecasting and modelling in order to understand the functioning of the entire ecosystem.  Some of the areas in which he has participated in research are Mexico, Carribbean, Brasil, Mauritania, Gambia, Cameroun, Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and China.

ULB Website :https://serm.ulb.be/

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Jared Bosire has a PhD in Mangrove Ecology from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. His research interests are in mangrove ecology and conservation majorly in resource assessment, restoration ecology, ecosystem functioning and more recently global environmental changes and impact on mangroves. He is currently a Senior Scientist and an Assistant Director for Marine and Coastal Research at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Kenya.

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Organising Committee – Scientific Commitee – Conference Secretariat

Scientific Committee

Uta Berger‘s research interest is on the general dynamics of complex biological systems, strategies of ecological modelling, development of ecological concepts, evaluation of ecological parameters, specific individual-based, spatially-explicit modelling dynamics of tropical and subtropical coastal ecosystems (particularly mangrove forests), succession of plant systems interactions of sessile organisms, risk assessment of management scenarios, disturbances, and long-term changes of environmental factors on the population dynamics of key species in tropical ecosystems, and dispersal of terrestrial, semi-terrestrial and marine organisms.

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Marília Cunha-Lignon has focused her research on the spatial and temporal variation of mangrove forests, using remote sensing, satellite images and permanent plots. She is particularly interested in mangrove forest succession in response to the sediment dynamics. She is also developing studies on urban mangroves under anthropogenic pressure to support coastal management in Brazil.

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Ndongo Din focuses on ecosystem functioning and evolution of mangrove vegetation in relation with environmental factors, and primarily works with students specialising in forest ecology and management. He is also active in environmental consultancy and sustainable development strategies in Cameroon.  He obtained his PhD from the University of Yaounde I (Cameroon) and presented a joint Doctorat d’Etat between the University of Yaounde I and the Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse III, France (Laboratoire d’Ecologie Terrestre). He heads the Department of Botany and is the Director of University Cooperation of the University of Douala. 

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Norman Duke is recognised worldwide for his specialist knowledge of mangrove forest ecosystems, especially regards their floristics, biogeography, evolution, climate change effects, sea level change, vegetation mapping, productivity, plant-animal relationships and habitat restoration. Over the last 30 years, he has lead international marine science projects studying coastal ecosystems and mangroves, particularly in Australia, Central America and Western Pacific.

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Candy Feller is an ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center where she is the Lead Scientist in the Animal-Plant Interaction Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding how climate change and nutrient over-enrichment are affecting mangrove ecosystems.

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François Fromard‘s current research interests include structure, functioning and dynamics of mangrove ecosystems, interactions between coastal sedimentary processes and mangrove dynamics, and the role of mangrove ecosystems in wastewater treatment.  He began his career as a botanist working on Mediteranean mountain ecosytems and received the Doctorat d’Etat degree in Ecology from Toulouse University (France) in 1984 . In the 90’s, he joined a research team headed by François Blasco where he specialized in mangrove ecology. He is presently senior scientist at EcoLab – Laboratory of functional Ecology and Environment, a joined research unit from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Toulouse.  He presently leads research programs in French Guiana and French-West-Indies, Western Indian Ocean (Mayotte Archipelago, Scattered islands) and Indonesia.

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Mark Huxham is a Reader in Environmental Biology at Edinburgh Napier University where he teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate courses on a range of subjects including evolution, ecology, marine biology and statistics. He researches marine ecology, and in particular mangrove ecology, but he is also interested in environmental ethics and in educational philosophy and practice. He received the Ed Wood award for outstanding teaching in the Biosciences in 2009.

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Kandasamy Kathiresan has spent practically most of his research career studying mangroves. He demonstrated the techniques for mangrove restoration, fishery resource enhancement and carbon sequestration in the field. The forest created by him saved about 1000 human lives during the 2004 tsunami. His innovative ideas proved mangroves as the source of high value products including nanoparticles especially to cure HIV and oral cancer. He has trained over 200 mangrove researchers globally.

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Joe S.Y. Lee is currently a professor and Deputy Director of the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University, Australia. He has worked on mangroves since 1985. Joe’s research interest in mangroves focuses on ecological and system processes, particularly the role played by animals in mangrove carbon dynamics.

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Victor H. Rivera-Monroy is an Associate Research Professor in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences with a PhD from Louisiana State University. He is interested in Estuarine and coastal ecosystems, biogeochemistry of wetlands, landscape modeling/ecosystem models, and coastal management/aquaculture. He has performed research in several Neotropical mangrove dominated coastal regions including South Florida USA, Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

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Patrik Rönnbäck is a professor in natural resource management with a PhD from Stockholm University. He has an extensive teaching and >research background on mangrove management including identification and valuation of ecosystem services, ecology and sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture, sanitation and water quality, post-tsunami response, etc.  Over the last 15 years he has lead international research projects in Asia and Africa.

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Martin Skov is an experimental ecologist with interest in the functioning of coastal wetlands. Recent research include the importance of tree diversity to ecological function and ecosystem services of replanted mangroves. New initiatives support emerging Payment for Ecosystem Service schemes for mangrove conservation, involving local communities and funding from carbon sequestration (NERC research projects ‘CAMARV’ and ‘Swahili Seas’). Wider research interests: saltmarsh functional ecology and coastal protection by biogenic reefs. Dr Skov is a Research Lecturer (fellow) at the School of Ocean Sciences of Bangor University.

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Nora Fung-yee Tam received her MSc and PhD from University of Sheffield and the University of York, UK, respectively. She has more than 25 years of experience in conducting basic and mission-oriented applied research and development projects on biological waste treatment, bioremediation and mangrove ecology. Prof Tam has developed close connections with government, the private sector (environmental consultant companies) and local green groups.

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Brad Walters is currently Professor of Geography & Environment and Coordinator of Environmental Studies at Mount Allison University, New Brunswick, Canada, where he has taught for the past 11 years. He completed a doctorate in human ecology at Rutgers University. Brad’s research has focused on the interactions between people, mangroves and other forests in the Philippines and Caribbean, and on methodology and explanation in human-environment research.

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Organising Committee – Scientific Commitee – Conference Secretariat

Conference Secretariat  mmm@ulb.be

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