Who we are
The members of the BAORULA network come from different contexts and disciplines, however sharing the vision of unlocking the potential of native African trees for the good of ecosystems and societies.
Prof. Arinola Adefila
Buckinghamshire New University, UK
Arinola Adefila is a professor of Social Policy and EDI at Buckinghamshire New University. She has an established track record as a leading transdisciplinary researcher who examines transformative learning environments, just transitions and sustainable futures. Arinola has over 25 years of experience as an educational practitioner, working in schools, Higher Education and as a consultant.
Dr. Godwin Agbemavor-Horlu
Ho Technical University, Ghana
Dr Agbemavor-Horlu is a senior lecturer at Ho Technical University, Ghana. His research interests consist of agricultural and development economics related fields. His research focus includes poverty reduction, food security, environmental resource use, and livelihood strategies in sub-Saharan Africa.
Prof. Ahmad Cheikhyoussef
University of Namibia
Prof. Cheikhyoussef runs a multidisciplinary laboratory in which the key areas of research include indigenous knowledge and ethnobotany of wild edible plants, nutritional value and safety of Namibian Traditional food and beverages, and traditional seed oils.
Prof. Kenneth Fafa Egbadzor
Ho Technical University, Ghana
Prof. Egbadzor is a Plant Breeder and Educator. His interest is in biodiversity conservation and domestication of indigenous African trees.
Doc. Dr. Lauri Hooli
University of Turku, Finland
Hooli is a senior lecturer in the Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku. He has over 20 years of experience working on issues related to Southern Africa. His research interests include socio-environmental challenges, Indigenous knowledge, community engagement, innovations, and the future of Southern Africa.
Doc. Dr. Sanna Huttunen
University of Turku, Finland
Sanna Huttunen is a botanist with 25 year work experience at natural history museums on biodiversity of tropical and cool climate floras. Together with Dr. Albertina Ndeinoma (University of Namibia) she leads research projects aiming to study challenges and potential of tree planting initiatives for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation in Namibian agro-forestry and savanna ecosystems.
Mr. Risto Isomäki
Risto Isomäki is a science fiction novelist, journalist and environmental activist. His books deal with climate change, global warming and trees. They have been translated into more than twenty different languages.
Prof. Joyce Lepetu
Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Dean, Prof. Lepetu has extensive experience in environmental and natural resources research. Her research focus is in forest socio-economic analysis of forest management and conservation, governance issues and stakeholder analysis. She is particularly interested in Community Based Natural Resources Management and Agroforestry.
Ms. Lourencia Mutonga
Ms. Mutonga is a Research intern in Lifelong and Community Education at the University of Namibia.
Dr. Ayu Pratiwi
University of Turku, Finland
Dr. Pratiwi is a Development Economist whose primary research interest lies in the diffusion and adoption of agricultural innovation and policy to achieve efficient market mechanisms in developing countries.
Dr. Henna Rouhiainen
University of Turku, Finland
Dr. Rouhiainen is an researcher in environmental and sustainability education. Through her work she wants to contribute to environmental sustainability by promoting the adoption of more sustainable values and behaviors on individual and societal levels.
Dr. Doc Annika Saarto
University of Turku, Finland
Dr. Saarto is Ecologist and Community Educator. She is particularly interested in community engagement, pollination of trees, and the system-level functioning of Agroforestry. Her recent research has focused on, e.g., climate change effects on shifting flowering times and on the allergenicity of pollen.
Dr. Johanna Toivonen de Gonzales
University of Turku, Finland and
University of Eastern Finland
Dr. Toivonen is a forest ecologist whose research interests are in tree-environment interactions and forest carbon dynamics in the tropics and subarctic, applying methods from forest ecology, tree ecophysiology and dendrochronology.