Gervais W. Tabopda

5401 Old National Highway

College Park, GA, 30349

Tel. 770–771–4117

Email:

IMMIGRATION STATUS

Permanent U.S. Resident/Permanent Work Autorisation

LANGUAGE SKILLS

English (Fluent), French (Fluent), Bamiléké (Native)

EDUCATION

2008Ph.D. in Geography and Urban Planning with specialization in environmental conservation policies

University of Orleans, France

Dissertation: “Protected Areas of the Far North of Cameroon between Conservation Policies and Local Activities”

2003M.A. in Geography, Environment, and Development

University of Orleans, France

Thesis: “Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in Cameroon: National Policies and a Case Study of the Laf-Madjam Forest Reserve (Far North Region)”

TEACHING APPOINTMENTS

2015-2016: Georgia State University, USA

Guest Lecturer (Econ 8740): Andrew Young School of Policy Studies,

Topic: The use of GIS for Impact Analysis, Spatial Policy-Making, and Identifying potential Cluster Regions

2006–2013University of Orleans, France

Lecturer, Department of Geography

5—7 courses per year

7 graduate courses; 6 undergraduate courses

2001–2005University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon

Teaching Assistant, Departement. of Geography

3 undergraduate courses per year

RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS

2015-2016The Impact of Conservation Policies on Local Economic development: A Regression Discontinuity Approach (with Pierre Nguimkeu), Work in Progress

2015-2016The Economic Value of Protected Areas: Income, Occupational Choice, and Welfare(with Pierre Nguimkeu), Work in Progress

Feb 2010–Nov 2011Geospatial Scientist,Head of Research Division, GEOCIA (Geospatial Company for International Analysis), Innovation Center, Orléans, France

Dec 2009–Feb 2010Research Engineer, NationalCenter for Scientific Research, UMR (Mixed Research Unit), CITERES (Cities, Territories, Environments, and Societies), Tours, France

Nov 2008–Nov 2009Associate Researcher, Geospatial analyst Engineer, and Remote sensing Consultant, Research Institute for Development, Orléans, France

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Interaction between people and the environment; land use/land cover dynamics; local and rural environmental practices and perceptions; conservation policies; protected-area management; sustainable development in developing countries; remote sensing and GIS analysis; spatial analysis; mapping; urban planning.

PUBLICATIONS

BOOK

Challenges of Sustainable Development in Protected Areas: Analysis of Interactions between Conservation Policies and Local Practices in the Parks and Reserves of the Far North of Cameroon.Saarbrücken, Germany: Editions Universitaires Européenes, 2010, 298 pp. (French Version)

BOOK CHAPTER

“Description and Monitoring of Deforestation in the Protected Areas of Northern Cameroon: Analysis with Satellite Remote Sensing in the KalfouForest Reserve,” in J-C Bolay et al. (eds.), Technologies and Innovations for Development: Scientific Cooperation for a Sustainable Future.Paris: Springer-Verlag, 2012.

JOURNAL ARTICLES (all published in French)

  1. Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, and Jean-Marie Fotsing. “Changes in Vegetation Cover in the Laf-MadjamForest Reserve of Northern Cameroon: Measurement Using Remote Sensing. Journal of Science and Global Change/Drought 21, no. 3 (2010): 169–178.
  2. Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, and David Gilbert. “Stateand Public Policiesfor the Conservation ofProtected Areas in Cameroon:ADifficult Compromise betweenGlobal EnvironmentalIssuesand Local Practices.”International Journal of Advanced Studies and Research in Africa1, no. 2 (August 2010): 132–143.
  3. Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “Protected Areas of the Far North of Cameroon between Conservation Policies and Local Practices.” Geographic Information 4 (2009): 65–71.
  4. Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, Ose Kenji, and Jean-Marie Fotsing. “Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Land Use in WazaNational Park (Northern Cameroon) between 1986 and 2001.”French Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 189 (2008): 40–50.

JOURNAL ARTICLES IN PREPARATION

  1. Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “Monitoring Environmental Changes on a Local Scale Using Remote Sensing and GIS: A Case Study of Small Protected Areas of Western Africa.”
  2. Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, and Ose Kenji. “Limitations of Joint Actions in Waza National Park, Cameroon: Identification Using Spatial Analysis.”

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

2014Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “Monitoring Environmental Changes at a local scale using remote sensing and GIS: case study in small protected areas of Northern Cameroon.”Applied Geography Conference, Atlanta, USA, October 15-17.

2010Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “GIS and Management of Protected Areas: The Case of WazaNational Park in Northern Cameroon.” Esri Francophone Conference, Versailles, France, September 29–30. Also published in proceedings.

2010Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “What Is the Future of Protected Areas of the Far North of Cameroon in Light of Domestic Energy Demand of the City of Maroua? Analysis of the Relationship between Cities and Protected Areas in the Evolving Sudano-Sahelian Region.” BiodiverCities Conference, Paris, September 6–8.

2010Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “Remote Sensing as a Tool for Ecological Assessment in Protected Areas in North Cameroon: Case of the KalfouForest Reserve.” EPFL-UNESCO Chair International Scientific Conference on Technologies for Development, Lausanne, Switzerland, February 6–11.

2010Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “Process of Appropriation of Protected Areas in Northern Cameroon: Illustration of a Confrontation between Environmental Demands and Local Knowledge.” International Conference of the Euro-African Association for the Anthropology of Social Change and Development, Engaging Anthropology in Development and Social Change: Practices, Discourses and Ethics, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 20–23.

2009Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, and Ose Kenji. “Protected Areas of the Far North of Cameroon between Conservation Policies and Local Activities.” Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Las Vegas, March 21–29.

2009Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, and Jean-Louis Yengue. “Describing and Monitoring the Decline of Woody Species in Protected Areas in Northern Cameroon: Analysis Using Remote Sensing.” 32nd Annual Applied Geography Conference, Baton Rouge, LA, October 28–31.

2009Wafo Tabopda, Gervais. “The Confrontation of Contradictory Approaches in Protected Areas of Far Northern Cameroon: Multiscalar Analysis of the Relation between Different Agents in the WazaNational Park.” Poster, International Symposium on Protected Areas, Social Acceptance and Environmental Conflicts, Chambéry, France, September 16–18.

2008Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, Jean-Marie Fotsing, and Ose Kenji. “Limitations of Joint Actions in WazaNational Park: Identification Using Spatial Analysis.” Annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers, Boston, April 15–19.

2007Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, Jean-Marie Fotsing, Ose Kenji, and Moïse Tsayem Demaze. “Contribution of Spatial Analysis in Monitoring the Vegetation in WazaNational Park, Northern Cameroon.” GéoCongrès International, Quebec City, Canada, October 2–5.

2006Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, Moïse Tsayem Demaze, and Jean-Marie Fotsing. “Application of Spatial Information to the Management of Protected Areas in Cameroon: The Laf-MadjamForest Reserve.” International Symposium on Nature-Society Interactions: Analysis and Models, La Baule, France, May 3–6. Also published in proceedings.

2005Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, and Jean-Marie Fotsing. “Changes in Vegetation Cover in the Laf-MadjamForest Reserve of Northern Cameroon: Identification Using Remote Sensing.” AfricaGis Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, October 30–November 4.

2005Wafo Tabopda, Gervais, Jean-Marie Fotsing, and David Huaman. “Changes in Vegetation Cover in the Laf-Madjam Forest Reserve of Far Northern Cameroon from 1976 to 2003.” 12th Brazilian Symposium on Remote Sensing, Goiânia, Brazil, April 16–21. Also published in proceedings.

GUEST LECTURES

2010“Introduction to Geographic Information Systems for Ecological Niche Modeling.” Workshop on the Use of Biodiversity Data, Global Biodiversity Information Facility Program, Natural History Museum of Paris, November 22–26.

2010“Legal versus Social Issues in Protected Areas of Far Northern Cameroon: Limitations on Regulation by Remote Sensing and GIS.” Study day of UMR CNRS 6173-CITERES, Analysis of Local Processes Regulating the Use of Space and Natural Resources, Tours, France, February 25.

2009“Describing and Monitoring the Decline of Woody Species in Protected Areas in Northern Cameroon: Analysis Using Remote Sensing. Third Scientific Animation Days on Network Sensing AUF, Algiers, Algeria, November 8–11.

2008“Remote Sensing and Satellite Image Maps for Map Updating.” Cartography and Geomatics Day, Institute for Research for Development, Bondy, France, June 30.

2008Training seminar for remote sensing and GIS for managers of the Office of Urban Study and Planning, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Sponsored by the French Development Agency, Institute for Research for Development, and GEOCIA (Geospatial Company for International Analysis), November 10–15.

2006“Fundamentals of Geographic Information.” Training seminar on remote sensing and GIS, Central African Environmental and Territorial Management Project, Yaoundé, Cameroon, August 2–11.

TECHNICAL SKILLS & CERTIFICATIONS

REMOTE SENSING & GIS SKILLS

  • Applications to environmental management
  • Satellite image processing: ERDAS, ENVI, ENVI EX, eCOGNITION)
  • GIS & spatial analysis: Arcview/ArcGis, MapInfo Professional, Idrisi, Quantum GIS
  • Cartographic production (thematic and operational)

CERTIFICATIONS

  • Certificate, System Administration & Management, Concentration- Cisco Networking Administration, 4.0 Pacific Institute of Technology, Morrow, Georgia, 12/2015
  • GIS: National School of Geographic Science, Paris, 2011
  • eCognition & Envi: Remote Sensing Center, Montpellier, France, 2005
  • ArcGis 8.3:SocialScienceCenter, 2004

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • Association of American Geographers (AAG)
  • Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG)
  • French National Committee of Geography (CNFG)
  • Remote Sensing Networkof the Francophone University Agency (AUF)
  • Euro-African Association for the Anthropology of Social Change and Development (APAD)

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