Isaac Mapaure

Biography

Isaac Mapaure is a full Professor of Environmental Biology/Ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Namibia (UNAM), where he has been a staff member since January 2003. He teaches a number of Environmental Biology/Ecology courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Faculty of Science and Faculty of Agriculture & Natural Resources at UNAM. Prof. Mapaure has supervised more than 70 Undergraduate and more than 40 Postgraduate students.Prof. Mapaure previously worked as a Senior Ecologist for several years in the Ministry of Agriculture in Zimbabwe before moving to the University of Zimbabwe’s Tropical Resource Ecology Programme (TREP) as a Lecturer and Academic Coordinator for TREP. He has had short visiting lectureships at Edinburgh University (UK) and Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia). Over the years, he has been involved in university management activities through participation in various University Committees, including University Senate and its Committees such as the Research & Publications Committee, Academic Planning Committee, and Admissions & Examinations Committee. He was also the University’s founding Director of Research & Publications for seven years. He also served as the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science at UNAM. Prof. Mapaure has more than twenty-five years’ experience in research, consultancy and student supervision, including seven years’ experience in research and innovation management.In 2015, he received an Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Research Management Profession in the region from the Southern African Research & Innovation Management Association (SARIMA). He has published numerous peer-reviewed journal papers, several small books and a number of book chapters. Prof. Mapaure has participated in several international projects and programmes in a number of SADC and other countries where his research experience covers Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Malawi (among others). Over the years, he has also been engaged in peer review of manuscripts for several international Journals. Prof. Mapaure has served as External Examiner for several Universities and has examined tens of theses and dissertations from various regional Universities. He served on the Africa Engagement Portfolio of the Southern African Research & Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) for two years and is currently a full Committee Member. He was also admitted to the College of Research Associates (CRA) of the United Nations University – Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) in international recognition of his research and management prowess.

Research Interest

Natural resources management; , Wildlife ecology and management; , Biodiversity conservation/Conservation ecology; , Fire ecology and management; , Disturbance ecology (especially impacts of fire, herbivory and pollution) on ecosystems; , Desertification, land degradation and climate change impacts on biodiversity and livelihoods; , Vegetation ecology; , Phytogeography and plant systematics; , Application of multivariate modeling techniques in research; , Vegetation-environment relationships.