Reception of the Visiting Research Fellow (ERHABOR, Norris Igbinosa)
Dr. Norris Igbinosa Erhabor is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education at the University of Benin, Nigeria. He is an environmental educator and interdisciplinary researcher whose work connects environmental education, conservation, community knowledge, sustainable development and participatory approaches to environmental problem-solving. His research interests include conservation education, human–wildlife interactions, environmental sustainability, low-cost and community-driven learning and the integration of local and scientific knowledge in addressing environmental challenges. He has also served as an Associate Editor of Ecological Solutions and Evidence and as a reviewer for the United Nations Environment Programme's Global Environment Outlook.
During his stay at RIHN, Dr. Erhabor will work with Associate Prof. Shun Hongo and the Fashloks Project team to explore how community knowledge can be integrated into wildlife monitoring and conservation governance in Nigerian forest reserves. His research, “Bridging Conservation Enforcement and Community Knowledge: Developing Co-produced Wildlife Monitoring Systems in Nigerian Forest Reserves,” builds on his recent mixed-methods research on wildlife ranger enforcement practices in Okomu National Park, Omo Biosphere Reserve, and Gele-Gele Forest Reserve. The project examines pathways for moving from predominantly enforcement-based approaches toward more collaborative relationships among wildlife rangers, local communities, and conservation scientists.
During the fellowship, Dr. Erhabor will undertake comparative analysis of Nigerian conservation practices and the Fashloks co-production approach, particularly experiences from tropical forest contexts such as Cameroon. He will focus on developing a framework for integrating ranger patrol and scientific monitoring with local ecological knowledge, participatory data interpretation, and community engagement. The fellowship will also support the development of a pilot research proposal, training materials and a comparative manuscript aimed at strengthening equitable and sustainable wildlife conservation in Nigeria and the wider West African forest region.
