Dr Ferdinand Handavu

Dr Ferdinand Handavu is a forest scientist and a biodiversity conservationist. His specialities are in socio-ecological system dynamics in miombo woodlands, modelling carbon dynamics in natural woodland ecosystems, forest livelihoods, vulnerability, and resiliency assessments and Climate change vulnerabilities and adaptation assessments. Additionally, Dr Handavu has been involved in several research projects and consultancies. For example, he is currently engaged in ethnobotanical assessments of plant-based pesticides in the Zambian miombo woodlands. Furthermore, he has been engaged in projects such as; (i) Systematic review of carbon dynamics and assessment methods in the Miombo woodlands for REDD+ schemes; (ii) Examining the impact of land-use/land-cover change on vegetation’s potential for carbon sequestration in miombo woodlands; (iii) Modelling biomass and carbon sequestration potential of selected miombo woodland sites in Zambia for climate change mitigation (iv) Assessing socio-economic factors influencing land-use/land-cover change and rural forest dependent community resilience in selected sites of Copperbelt miombo woodlands (v) Assessing environmental factors influencing distribution of miombo woodland species. His research works have informed policy at regional and global level on matters of carbon modelling, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation strategies.
Research interest
• Carbon stock modelling and assessments
• Climate change vulnerabilities and adaptation
• Forest-dependent livelihood assessments
• Biodiversity and ethnobotanical assessments
• LULC change and implications on carbon