DAAD climapAfrica Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Parakou
WASCAL Dassari Basin
Benin
Florent A.D. NOULEKOUN is a research professor at the Agroforestry Systems and Ecology Laboratory (ASEL) of the College of Life Science and Biotechnology of Korea University (South Korea) and a researcher associated with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL). He holds a MSc in Agroecology and Sustainable Development from Mekelle University (Ethiopia) and a PhD in Ecology and Natural Resources Management from the University of Bonn (Germany). Since 2014, Dr Noulèkoun has collaborated with WASCAL on several projects in the framework of his doctoral and postdoctoral assignments. Dr Noulèkoun’s research work so far has covered cross-cutting issues related to the sustainable conservation and management of natural resources, involving several scientific disciplines such as Ecology, Biogeography and Ethnobotany. In his current research, his interests are centered around functional traits and their application for the management of natural resources under global environmental changes, including land degradation and climate change, in (semi-) arid areas. In that regard, his research under ClimapAfrica will seek to assess the impacts of climate change on woody species in Benin by combining species distribution modelling and functional trait approaches.
Climate change expertise and interests
- Species distribution modelling (SDM)
- Monitoring carbon stock
- Trait-based SDM
- Land restoration
Publications (most recent)
Noulèkoun, F., Birhane, E., Mensah, S., Kassa, H., Berhe, A., Gebremichael, Z.M., Adem, N.M., Seyoum, Y., Mengistu, T., Lemma, B., Hagazi, N., Abrha, H. (2021). Structural diversity consistently mediates species richness effects on aboveground carbon along altitudinal gradients in Northern Ethiopian grazing exclosures. Science of the Total Environment.
Noulèkoun, F., Mensah, S., Birhane, E., Son, Y., Khamzina, A. (2021). Forest landscape restoration under global environmental change: challenges and a future roadmap. Forests.
Mensah, S., van der Plas, F., Noulèkoun, F. (2021). Do functional identity and divergence promote aboveground carbon differently in tropical semi-arid forests and savannas? Ecosphere.
I participate at climapAfrica because...
It offers a unique opportunity to network and interact with regional and international fellow researchers, experienced scientists and practitioners in the field of climate change impact assessment. The experience that I will acquire through ClimapAfrica will fully equip me to generate new knowledge and innovative solutions to handle issues related to climate change in Africa. This will also lay a good foundation for a more impactful scientific career and significantly contribute to building my scientific leadership in the field of climate protection in Africa.