Background
Dr. Geofrey Soka has been involved in conservation and ecological research throughout his academic and working career and joined Bioversity International (formerly IPGRI - Italy) as an associate expert. He is currently a Lecturer in Wildlife Management and Conservation at the Department of Wildlife Management in the Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation, Sokoine University of Agriculture Tanzania. Dr. Soka has a research track record and expertise in a wide range of topic central to the ecology and management of the Serengeti grasslands, in particular their microbial soil communities and has expertise in GIS and remote sensing techniques. His most recent research, on the response of AMF to grazing intensity and rainfall gradient in the Serengeti was funded by the USA NSF, 2010-14. His main research interests lie in the area of conservation biology and related socio-economic aspects, particularly the mainstreaming of conservation into development agendas as well as understanding interactions between biological systems and their benefits to local communities. He has past experience in the ecological monitoring and research of a variety of terrestrial taxa, as well as the supervision and logistics of such work.
