Michael Balinga

Born in Aix–en–Provence, France, Michael Balinga was raised in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He obtained a professional master’s degree in forestry from the University of Dschang in Western Cameroon. Balinga’s experience includes a 4 year research position with a DFID funded project that focused on the ecology, uses and processing of African rattans in Central and West Africa. From 2004 to 2007, he established and directed a national NGO, conducting biodiversity research and livelihoods improvement activities within Cameroon. During this period, Balinga worked as a consultant to the Wildlife Conservation Society, conducted biodiversity assessments and monitored training for the Smithsonian Institution that targeted national park staff across Central Africa. He joined CIFOR’s West Africa regional programme as a livelihoods scientist in 2007, and after several years working in Guinea and Sierra Leone, he now holds the position of regional coordinator based in Ouagadougou.