Kofi Akamani's headshot

Kofi Akamani

Professor
k.akamani@siu.edu
618-453-7464
Agriculture Building, Room 194-B
Agricultural Sciences, Forestry, Environmental Resources and Policy

Kofi Akamani is a Professor of Forest Recreation and Conservation Social Science in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University. Akamani conducts research in rural communities in Ghana and the US in order to better understand and enhance the resilience of rural resource-dependent communities and the adaptive governance of forests, water resources, and agricultural landscapes in the face of climate change impacts and other change drivers.

His interdisciplinary teaching and research integrate concepts from social-ecological systems research, rural sociology, and common pool resources among others, with the aim of gaining a theoretical understanding of human-environment interactions across multiple scales and informing policies that promote human well-being and ecosystem health across the rural-urban continuum.

Special Interests

Human dimensions of natural resource management; Resource-dependent community sustainability; International protected areas and conservation policy; Nature-based tourism and recreation planning; Resilience and vulnerability in rural and urban settlements; Adaptive governance of forests, land, and water resources; Natural resource collaboration and conflict management; Natural resource planning and policy analysis; Interdisciplinary research; Mixed methods research.

Classes

  • FOR 585 - Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management
  • FOR 325 - Forest Resources Administration and Policy
  • FOR 285 - Social Influences in Forestry
  • FOR 480 - Natural Resource Conflict Management
  • FOR 421 - Recreational Land Use Planning

Descriptions available for each of these classes in course listings for Forestry [FOR].

Education

  • PhD. Natural Resources: University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, U.S.A. (05-2011)
  • MPhil. Culture, Environment and Sustainability: University of Oslo, Norway (06-2006)
  • BSc. Planning: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kusmasi, Ghana (07-2003)

Professional Service/Recognition

  • Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Sustainable Forestry
  • Expert grant proposal review panel member for NASEM, NSF, USDA, and European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+
  • Member of the NASEM US National Committee for the International Union of Biological Sciences
  • Coordinating Lead Author of IUFRO Forests as Pillars of Social and Economic Resilience assessment
  • Lead Author of IPBES nexus assessment
  • Lead Author of UNEP Global Environment Outlook 7 assessment
  • Author of ecosystems chapter of Fifth National Climate Assessment
  • 2023 International Alumni Achievement Award, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho
  • 2016 Early Career Faculty Excellence Award, College of Agricultural Sciences, SIU

Recent Publications

  • Bowser, G., Stotts, A., Akamani, K., Benini, L., Clarke, J., Cools, J., Fanciulli, L., Fletcher, S., Green, S., Hakkinen, H., Ho, S. (2025). Chapter 8: Western Europe and Other States Group. In Gutierrez-Espeleta, E., Madise, N., Watson, R., & Wang, Y. (eds). Global Environment Outlook 7. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme.
  • Allen, C., Akamani, K., Carmenta, R., Das, S., Delgado-Serrano, M., Dhyani, S., Djenontin, A., Ferreira, J., Larson, A. M., McGinley, K., Nepal, M., and Ameyaw, L. (2025). Chapter 1: Introduction. In Allen, C., Grima, N., Belohrad, V., and Fisher, B. (eds.). Forests for social and economic resilience. IUFRO World Series, Volume 45. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, Austria.
  • Bowser, G., Akamani, K., Balgopal, M. M., Coley, J. D., Diaz-Clark, E. D., Funk, W. C., Helmuth, B., Henriques, S., Grant-Hoffman, N., Osborne, T., Seshadri, A., Templer, P. H., Urban, M. C., and Wandell, K. (2025). Assessing nature: Perceptions, knowledge, and gaps. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 23(3): e2846.
  • Allen, C., Carmenta, R., Rocha, J., Akamani, K., Das, S., Ameyaw, L., and Garmestani, A. (2025). Resilience framing for forest social-ecological systems. In Allen, C., Grima, N., Belohrad, V., and Fisher, B. (eds.). Forests for social and economic resilience. IUFRO World Series, Volume 45. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, Austria.
  • Allen, C., Akamani, K., Carmenta, R., Das, S., Delgado-Serrano, M., Dhyani, S., Djenontin, A., Ferreira, J., Izquierdo-Tort, S., McGinley, K., and Nepal, M. (2025). Forests for social and economic resilience. In Allen, C., Grima, N., Belohrad, V., and Fisher, B. (eds.). Forests for social and economic resilience. IUFRO World Series, Volume 45. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, Austria.
  • Djenontin, A., Larson, A., Carmenta, R., Delgado-Serrano, M., Dhyani, S., McGinley, K., Pulhin, J.M., Akamani, K., Nepal, M., and Das, S. (2025). The analysis of forest governance and institutions for social and economic resilience. In Allen, C., Grima, N., Belohrad, V., and Fisher, B. (eds.). Forests for social and economic resilience. IUFRO World Series, Volume 45. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, Austria.
  • Ferreira, J., Izquierdo-Tort, S., Akamani, K., Carmenta, R., Delgado-Serrano, M., Dhyani, S., Djenontin, A., and Nepal, M. 2025). Relationships between forests and social and economic resilience. In Allen, C., Grima, N., Belohrad, V., and Fisher, B. (eds.). Forests for social and economic resilience. IUFRO World Series, Volume 45. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, Austria.
  • Carmenta, R., McGinley, K., Akamani, K., Allen, C., Delgado-Serrano, M., Djenontin, I., Duchelle, A., Larson, A., and Libert, A. (2025). Options for enhancing the contributions of forests to social and economic resilience. In Allen, C., Grima, N., Belohrad, V., and Fisher, B. (eds.). Forests for social and economic resilience. IUFRO World Series, Volume 45. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, Austria.
  • Akamani, K., Allen, C., Das, S., Pulhin, J. M., Rocha, J., Bhattarai, M., and Libert, A. (2025). Assessing resilience in forest SES. In Allen, C., Grima, N., Belohrad, V., and Fisher, B. (eds.). Forests for social and economic resilience. IUFRO World Series, Volume 45. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, Austria.
  • Alonso Roldán, V., Lavorel, S., Aguiar S., Akamani K., Dunnett, S., Handa, C., Hill, S., Lee, K.-C., Mácová, K., Melo, F., Rai, K. K., Samoilys M., and Sivadas, D. (2024). Chapter 5.1: Options for delivering sustainable approaches to biodiversity conservation, restoration and sustainable use. In: Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Harrison, P. A., McElwee, P. D., and van Huysen, T. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany.
  • Khurram, S., Shalizi, M. N., Basharin, M., Akamani, K., & Groninger, J. (2024). Barriers and opportunities towards community-based forest management in Afghanistan. Biological Conservation, 51(1), 6-16.
  • Ricketts, T. H., Herrero, M., Smith, P., Alonso Roldán, V., Barrios, E., Dasgupta, P., DeClerck, F., Kumar, R., McFarlane, R. A., Paukert, C., Singh, P. K., Lavorel, S., Aboubakrine, M. W. M., Aguiar S., Akamani, K., Benedek, Z., Campbell, D., Castro-Díaz, R., Chaplin-Kramer, R., Cherubini, F., das Neves, C. G., De La Cruz, P., Díaz-José, J., Dunnett, S., Santos, M. J., Gupta, H., Gyawali, D., Handa, C., Hill, S., Hori, M., Ito, A., Joshi, G. R., Keune, H., Khan, S., Koltz, A. M., Kouame, A. A., Kuiken, T., Lalika, M., Lee, K.-C., Llope, M., Mácová, K., Melo, F., Milano, F. A., Minaverry, C. M., Morand, S., Mustafa, M. A., Oinonen, S., Rafa, N., Rai, K. K., Reuben, R. C., Rosado-May, F. J., Samoilys M., Sandin, L., Simatele, M. D., Sivadas, D., Spierenburg, M., Tirado, M. C., Twongyirwe, R., Vale, M. M., Williams, D. R., Xu, X., and van Huysen, T. L. (2024). Chapter 5: Options for delivering sustainable approaches. In: Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Harrison, P. A., McElwee, P. D., and van Huysen, T. L. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany.
  • McElwee, P. D., Carter, S. L., Hyde, K. J. W., West, J. M., Akamani, K., Babson, A. L., Bowser, G., Bradford, J. B., Costanza, J. K., Crimmins, T. M., Goslee, S. K., Hamilton, S. K., Helmuth, B., Hoagland, S., Hoover, F-A. A., Hunsicker, M. E., Kashuba, R., Moore, S. E., Munoz, R. C., Shrestha, G., Uriarte, M., Wilkening, J. L. (2023). Chapter 8: Ecosystems, ecosystem services, and biodiversity. In: Crimmins, A. R., Avery, C. W., Easterly, D. R., Kunkel, K. E., Stewart, B. C., Maycock, T. K. (eds). Fifth National Climate Assessment: Risks, Impacts, and Responses. Washington DC: United States Global Change Research Program.
  • Khurram, S., Larawai, M. I., Shalizi, M. N., Akamani, K., & Groninger, J. W. (2023). Assessing regeneration strategies for sustaining intensively used chilgoza pine-dominated community forests in Afghanistan. Trees, Forests and People, 14, 100443
  • Pease, B., Gilbert, N., Casola, W., & Akamani, K. (2023). The Steller’s Sea-Eagle in North America: An economic assessment of birdwatchers traveling to see a vagrant raptor. People and Nature. DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10527.
  • Akamani, K. (2023). The roles of adaptive water governance in enhancing the transition towards ecosystem-based adaptation. Water, 15, 2341.
  • Akamani, K. (2023). Path dependence, community resilience, and social responses to the implementation of collaborative forest management in Ghana. International Journal of the Commons, 17(1), 22-36.
  • Mahmoodi, M. B., Shalizi, M. N., Groninger, J. W., Akamani, K., & Khurram, S. (2023). Stand characteristics and perceptions of local communities on the management of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) forests in an unstable region of Afghanistan. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 42(2), 170-188.
  • Akamani, K. (2021). An ecosystem-based approach to climate-smart agriculture with some considerations for social equity. Agronomy, 11(18), 1564.
  • Plecki, A., Akamani, K., Groninger, J. W., Brenner, J. C., & Gage, K. L. (2021). Homeowner perceptions and responses to buffelgrass invasion risk in the Tucson, Arizona Wildland-Urban Interface. Heliyon, 7(5), e07040.
  • Akamani, K. (2020). Integrating deep ecology and adaptive governance for sustainable development: Implications for protected areas management. Sustainability 12(14): 5757.
  • Shalizi, M. N., Khurram, S., Groninger, J. W., Akamani, K., & Morissey, R. C. (2020). Redbud woodlands conservation status in Afghanistan: Implications for sustaining vulnerable ecosystems under multiple drivers of change. Global Ecology and Conservation, 22, e00942.
  • Mundia, C., Secchi, S., Akamani, K., Wang, G. (2019). A regional comparison of factors affecting global sorghum production: The case of North America, Asia, and Africa’s Sahel. Sustainability, 11, 2135.
  • Akamani, K., & Hall, T. (2019). Scale and co-management outcomes: Assessing the impact of collaborative forest management on community and household resilience in Ghana. Heliyon, 5(1), e01125.
  • Akamani, K., & Holzmueller, E. J. (2017). Socioeconomic and policy considerations in the adoption of agroforestry systems: An ecosystem-based adaptive governance approach. In Dagar, J. C., & Tewari, V. P. (eds.), Agroforestry. Springer Nature, Singapore, pp. 833-855.
  • Akamani, K. (2016). Adaptive water governance: Integrating the human dimensions into water resource governance. Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, 158, 2-18.
  • Akamani, K. (2016). Resilience, adaptive governance and agroforestry in a world of uncertainty. In Dagar, J. C., & Tewari, J. C. (eds.), Agroforestry research developments. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, pp. 546-559.
  • Akamani, K. (2016). Toward ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change in West Africa: The potential contributions of non-governmental organizations. In Yaro, J. A., & Hesselberg, J. (eds.), Adaptation to climate change and variability in West Africa. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, pp. 191-213.
  • Akamani, K. (2016). Using adaptive governance to enhance transitions toward sustainable and resilient energy systems. Journal of Social Sciences, 49(3), 183-194.
  • Akamani, K., Holzmueller, E., & Groninger, J. W. (2016). Managing wicked environmental problems as complex social-ecological systems: The promise of adaptive governance. In Melesse, A. & Abtew, W. (eds.), Landscape dynamics, soil and hydrological processes in varied climates. Springer Geography, pp. 741-762.   
  • Behnken, J., Groninger, J. W., & Akamani, K. (2016). Institutional constraints to collaborative ecosystem management within a wetlands conservation partnership. Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, 158, 19-33.