Position

Born in 1986, Akomian Fortuné Azihou holds a PhD (2013), an MSc (2010) and an Agronomist Engineer degree (2008) in the Management of Natural Resources from the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin. Since 2014, he is lecturer at the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences (University of Abomey-Calavi) and visiting lecturer at “Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Aménagement et de Gestion des Aires Protégées (ENSAGAP)” (University of Parakou, Benin). He has undertaken several researches on African elephants, the distribution of tree species at the boundary of gallery forest and savanna, long-distance dispersal, recruitment and facilitation in savanna ecosystems.

Awards and distinctions

• 2014: International Foundation for Sciences (IFS) Capacity Enhancing Support Workshop on Collaborative Research focusing on Biodiversity;
• 2014: GIP ECOFOR Travel Award;
• 2012: Rufford Small Grant (RSG) for Nature Conservation;
• 2012: German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BFN), Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and Youth Association for the Protection of Nature (NAJU) Sponsorship;
• 2012: IUFRO-SPDC Sponsorship, International Union of Forest Research Organizations;
• 2011: Research Grant for Excellence, West African Economic and Monetary Union;
• 2011: Student Travel Award, International Association for Landscape Ecology;
• 2010: Bursary, Conservation Science Group, University of Cambridge;
• 2010 – 2013: Hessian State Initiative for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence (LOEWE): PhD studies (Academic Training Courses, Field Works and Subsistence);
• 2004 – 2008: Beninese Government Scholarship (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008).

Profiles and Curriculum

ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Akomian_Azihou

Total number of publications

• Articles scientifiques publiés dans les journaux: 8
• Communications: 0
• Documents techniques: 2

Key publications

1. Azihou A. F., Glèlè Kakaï R. and Sinsin B., 2014. Importance of functional traits and regional species pool in predicting long-distance dispersal in savanna ecosystems. Plant Ecology, 215: 651 – 660.
2. Donou Hounsode M. T., Glèlè Kakaï R., Azihou A. F. and Ouédraogo A., 2014. Efficiency of inventory plot patterns for the estimation of woody vegetation recruit density in a tropical dense forest in Bénin. African Journal of Ecology.
3. Azihou A. F., Glèlè Kakaï R. and Sinsin B., 2013. Do isolated gallery-forest trees facilitate recruitment of forest seedlings and saplings in savanna? Acta Oecologica, 53: 11 – 18.
4. Azihou A. F., Glèlè Kakaï R., Bellefontaine R. and Sinsin B., 2013. Distribution of tree species along a gallery forest–savanna gradient: patterns, overlaps and ecological thresholds. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 29: 25 – 37.
5. Kassa B. D., Fandohan B., Azihou A. F., Assogbadjo A. E., Oduor A. M. O., Kidjo F., Babatounde S., Liu J. and Glele Kakai R., 2013. Survey of Loxodonta africana (Elephantidae)-caused bark injury on Adansonia digitata (Malvaceae) within Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin. African Journal of Ecology, 52: 385–394.