Hazel M. Chapman

I am a research ecologist with particular interests in plant-animal interactions, tropical forest conservation/restoration and the ecology of plant invasions. I am Founder and Director of the Nigerian Montane Forest Project (NMFP) in Taraba State, Nigeria and am based at the University of Canterbury (UC) Christchurch, NZ.
At UC I teach evolutionary ecology, invasion ecology and conservation biology. I have an active lab group with postgraduate students working in both Nigeria and New Zealand.

• Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
• Founder and Director, Nigerian Montane Forest Project
• PI of the Ngel Nyaki Smithsonian CTFS_Forest Geo long term forest plot

• Afromontane ecology, conservation science & forest restoration.
• Forest community response to global change
• Ecosystem services, especially as relates to plant-animal interactions such as seed dispersal and pollination.
• Knowledge sharing & capacity building in Africa for conservation and environmental management.
• Plant invasion ecology, especially as relates to hybridization, rapid evolution and adaptation, epigenetics and plant-animal interactions.

• Visiting Reader, Biology Dept, Gombe State University, Nigeria. 2015
• Visiting lecturer Gombe State University 2007-2015
• Visiting Lecturer Federal University of Technology, Yola 2004-2007
• Represented New Zealand for New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Academy of science of South Africa (ASSAf) Poverty Reduction meeting in Pretoria 2016
• Developed from nothing the Nigerian Montane Forest Project in Taraba State Nigeria.
  The station employs 36 fulltime staff, has good facilities and satellite internet. It is a research base for Nigerian and international researchers and postgraduate students. It is a key destination for Nigerian scientists in all stages of their careers and has a major impact in bringing environmental awareness to all age groups and across society from local nursery school children to top Nigerian researchers. We accommodate hundreds of undergraduate students annually.
• Funding is primarily from Taraba State Government, Chester Zoo, the A. G. Leventis Foundation, Nexen Nigeria Inc and Rufford Foundation. 2003-present
• Oversaw the building of a field station, training and management of over 20 field assistants; established long term monitoring of tree phenology, seed dispersal and forest restoration 2003-present
• Found funding from TY Danjuma for a 20ha CTFS ForestGeo plot at Ngel Nyaki forest Nigeria 2015
  Advisor to undergraduate Nigerian students based at the NMFP field station for their work experience 2006-present.
• Field research in Svalbard as part of NERC funded post doctoral fellowship 1992-1994

I am an Associate Editor (Subject editor) of

• The African Journal of Ecology (AJE) 2016-present
• COGENT- Environment (Open Source) 2016-present
• Bima Journal of Science and Technology (Nigerian) 2015-present
• Mentor for BSc and MSc student research projects, Taraba State University, Gombe State University and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Nigeria.
• Chair of the UC School of Biological Sciences Annual Biology Conference – 2017-current
• Represented New Zealand for New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Academy of science of South Africa (ASSAf) Poverty Reduction meeting in Pretoria. 2016
• Blogs for ALERT – the Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers and Thinkers. ‘Massive superhighway imperils Nigeria’s environment’ and  ‘China’s rapacious appetite for timber is devastating West Africa’s woodland’ 2017
• Chair of the Taraba State UN_REDD Technical Committee 2010-14
• Worked with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) to interact with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment on the revision of the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP) for Nigeria. 2012
• Invited participation in the Wildlife Conservation Society ‘Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee conservation action planning group’ Calabar meeting. 2009.
• Raised $50,000 US and organised the building of a nursery school for 300 children from Yelwa village nearby the Nigerian Montane Forest Project, Taraba State. 2008.
• Seconded onto the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) Taraba State Community Forestry Advisory Committee (2004-2007)
• Contract with Birdlife International GEF funded botanical survey of Tchabal Mbabo, Cameroon 2004