HOD Forest Resources Management

HOD Picture

DR. FOLARANMI DAPO BABALOLA

Senior Lecturer

E-mail: babalola.fd@unilorin.edu.ng

Phone: +234(0)8132019259

Dr. Fola Babalola is a professional forester. He holds BSc. (Forest Resources Management); MSc. (Forest Economics and Management); and PhD (Forest Economics) from University of Ibadan. He started his studies, teaching and research career at the University of Ibadan. He was appointed lecturer I at Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ilorin in 2011 and currently a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department. He was awarded the Vice-Chancellor Postdoctoral fellowship of the University of Pretoria (UP), South Africa from 2012 to 2014, and on completion of the postdoc was appointed Extraordinary Lecturer at UP.

Dr Babalola started his professional career with humble background. His field of specialization is Forest Economics, and research interests include Social Forestry, Community Forestry, Urban Forestry, Marketing and Value Chain Analysis of

Forest Products, Sustainable Forest Exploitation and Management, Agroforestry, Forestry Education, Biodiversity Conservation. He won his first research grant of ANAFE (Kenya) that fund his undergraduate dissertation. Immediately he completed his BSc, he won international scholarship to participate in the field training of Tropical Biology Association (TBA) at Kibale, Uganda in 2003. The following year (2014), he was awarded international fellowship to participate in field expedition of Earthwatch International at Gazi Bay, Kenya. During his postgraduate studies at the University of Ibadan, he was awarded Postgraduate School Scholarship Scheme for three academic sessions from 2005 to 2009.

Dr Babalola has been recipients of various travel sponsorships to participate in international conferences, trainings, workshops in countries such as United States, United Kingdom (UK), Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Germany, South Africa, among others. He has also won a number of international research grants to carry out both personal and team research. Some of these include Postgraduate Fellowship of African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE) Kenya (2002); Postgraduate Fellowship International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Japan (2005); Junior Scientists’ Fellowship Program of African Forest Research Network (AFORNET) and Africa Academy of Science, (2007); International Foundation for Science (IFS), Sweden (2006); British Ecological Society (BES) Outreach Grant (2014); Rufford Small Grant (2016); Small Grant, Marine Section of Society for Conservation Biology (2016); Tropical Biology Association (TBA) Small Grant (2010 and 2015); Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA) (2009);Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) of Federal Government of Nigeria (2015); Incentive Funding for Rated Researcher, National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa 2016 to 202, among others.

Dr. Babalola has published a Book, and published more than 100 research articles in journals and conference proceedings. He has supervised up to five Masters and Doctoral students, and a number of undergraduate students.

Dr. Babalola is a member of following professional bodies:

a) Full member, Southern African Institute of Forestry (SAIF)

b) Member, African Forest Forum (AFF)

c) Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN)

d) Fellow, International Council for Science (ICSU)

e) Fellow, International Social Science Council (ISSC)

f) Board Member of Africa Section, Society for Conservation Biology (SCB)

Dr Babalola contributes to community service, as part his primary responsibilities in the University. He was the President of Nigeria Tropical Biology Association (NTBA) from 2008 to 2018; the President, Nigeria Chapter of Society for Conservation Biology (NSCB) from 2013 to date; Associate Scientific Member of Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) (2015 to date), and Founder and CEO, Save Sahara Network (SSN), an NGO from 2017 to date.

He has received the following awards:

  1. Vice Chancellor Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Pretoria, South Africa 2012 to     2014.
  2. Nigerian Young Academy Award: A National Competitive Award conferred by the Executive Committee of the Nigerian Young Academy (NYA) (24 March, 2013).
  3. Scholar: Postgraduate School, University of Ibadan Postgraduate School, Nigeria (3 March 2006 to 25 February, 2010).
  4. Best M.Sc. Student: Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria 2004/05 Session (2005)
  5. Fellow, Association of African Universities (AAU) Exchange Programme University of Pretoria, South Africa, September, 2016.
  6. Travel sponsorship, 31st General Assembly of International Council for Science (ICSU), Auckland, New Zealand September, 2014.
  7. Mobility Grant, PAERIP Partnership to High-Level Conference of Africa-Europe Research Infrastructure Cooperation held on 7 – 8 March, 2013 at EU Thon Hotel, Brussels, Belgium.
  8. Joint Award of International Council for Science (ICSU), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and International Social Science Council (ISSC) to participate in the Young Scientist Networking Conference at Villa Vigoni, Italy April 2013.
  9. Netherlands Fellowship Programme – NUFFIC, Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation, Netherlands March, 2013.
  10. Mobility Grant by PAERIP Partnership to attend the 2nd PEARIP (Promoting African-European Research Infrastructure Partnership), Tavistock Square, London. Oct, 2012
  11. Travel Sponsorship, European Section of Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) to 3rd ECCB, Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) UK, September 2012.
  12. Travel Sponsorship, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in partnership with Australian Government AusAID's, to attend the 5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, Brisbane, Australia, 26-29 September, 2011.
  13. Travel Sponsorship, Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA), Yaoundé, Cameroun (June 2010)
  14. Mobility Grant by PAERIP Partnership and organizers to attend the 1st PEARIP (Promoting African-European Research Infrastructure Partnership) Workshop, Cape Town, South Africa; November, 2011.
  15. Travel Award, International Colloquium of Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA), Bamako, Mali December, 2009
  16. Travel Award of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), 22nd Annual Meeting. Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. July, 2008.
  17. University of Ibadan Postgraduate School Scholarship Scheme  2005/2006, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 sessions
  18. Earthwatch Fellowship supported by European Commission and HSBC to participate in a field expedition on “Mangroves of the Kenya Coast”(July, 2004), Gazi Bay, Kenya
  19. European Community, British Ecological Society & BAT Biodiversity Partnership Scholarship to participate in a field course organized by Tropical Biology Association, Makerere University Biological Field Station (MUBFS), Kibale Forest, Uganda. (March 2003)