Biography

Dr Abdon Awono is a senior forest scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF with over 25 years of experience in tropical forest management, forest policy and economics, and environmental impact assessment. Based atthe CIFOR-ICRAF office in Yaoundé, Abdon serves as principal investigator for major projects, including OFAC-CE, funded by the EU, and the PUDT programme, funded by CAFI-AFD. He has managed multiple projects as country representative, including FLR, funded by BMZ, GML, funded by the EU, and the Global Comparative Study on REDD+. Dr Awono collaborates with universities and research institutes across Africa and Europe, and is widely recognized for his expertise in national and regional forest and ecosystem policy in Central Africa and beyond.He holds a PhD in geography and land-use planning from Montpellier III University in France, as well as master’s degrees in environmental impact assessment from the University of Dschang, and political science from the University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon. His research has led to the publication of over 100 scientific papers covering topics such as woodfuel economics, carbon footprints, mangrove conservation and multifunctional landscapes for resilience. He is also a frequent contributor to Forests News, offering expert insights on the circular economy, biodiversity conservation and sustainable rural livelihoods.