Carsten Smith-Hall

Short presentation

Carsten Smith-Hall (previously Smith Olsen) is Professor in Forest and People in Developing Countries. He is responsible for the global PhD programme Forest and Nature for Society (www.fonaso.eu), the European MSc programme in Sustainable Tropical Forestry (www.sutrofor.eu), and the University of Copenhagen MSc course in Forests and Livelihoods. He is a strong advocate of internationalisation of university teaching and a pioneer in the development and application of use of technology in teaching (e-learning).

In research Carsten Smith-Hall has directed several international and interdisciplinary programmes and published in both natural and social science journals. His research is particularly focused on (i) forest - livelihood relationships, including the role of forests in preventing and reducing poverty, (ii) forests and human health, in particular the role of forests in maintaining and improving welfare in developing countries through the provision of traditional medicines, and (iii) commercial utilisation of Himalayan biodiversity, with emphasis on trade and conservation of medicinal plants. He is Associate Editor for the International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/TBSM) and member of the World Conservation Union's Medicinal Plant Specialist Group.

CV

Grants:

Total grants more than DKK 148,000,000 (approx. Euro 19 million). The large majority of funds were obtained as main applicant/key responsible scientist.

2010 Erasmus Mundus Joint MSc Programme in Sustainable Tropical Forestry (SUTROFOR). Funded by the European Commission. DKK 20,000,000 from 2011-2015. Grant No. 2010-1-DK.

2009 Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate Programme Forest and Nature for Society (FONASO). Funded by the European Commission. DKK 50,000,000 from 2010-2014. Grant No. FPA 2009-006.

2009 Rural livelihoods and forest dependency in developing countries. Funded by the Danish Council for Independent Research – Social Sciences. DKK 83,376 in 2009-10. Grant No. 09-071350.

2008 The SUTROFOR South Partnership. Funded by the European Commission. DKK 1,500,000 in

2008-10. Partners are Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza in Costa Rica, Ecole Nationale Forestière d’Ingenieurs in Marocco, Institute of Forestry at Tribhuvan University in Nepal, and Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources in Ethiopia.

2007 Research project: Tropical forests for poverty alleviation – from household data to global analysis. Funded by the Consultative Research Committee (FFU) at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. DKK 4,979,443 in 2007-10. Partners are Cambodia Development Resources Institute, Forest Research Institute of Ghana, University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, and CIFOR. Grant no. 104.Dan.8-933.

2007 Research and capacity building project: Community based natural forest and tree management in the Himalaya – phase II. Funded by the Consultative Research Committee (FFU) at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. DKK 7,925,322 in 2007-10. Partners are the Institute of Forestry at Tribhuvan University and the Department of Forest Research and Survey at the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, both in Nepal. Grant no. 104.Dan.8.L.716.

2007 Capacity building project: Participatory development of non-timber forest product curricula (NTFPCUR). Funded by the European Union’s Asia-Link programme. DKK 200,000 (LIFE budget only) in 2007-10. Partners are University of Utrecht (lead), Leiden University, Vietnam Forestry University, National University of Laos, Royal University of Agriculture in Cambodia. Grant no. VN/Asia-Link/14(142-904).

2005 Centre of Excellence – the Sustainable Tropical Forestry (SUTROFOR) European teaching consortium. Funded by the European Commission. DKK 41,500,000 in 2005-10. Partners are the University of Wales, University of Padova, Technical University of Dresden, and the AgroParisTech University. Grant no. 2006-1586/001-001 MUN MUNB37.

2004 Visiting scholar “Analysis of trade in non-timber forest products: structure-conduct-performance analysis of the South Asian medicinal plant market” at the University of Padova, Italy. Funded by the Danish Research Council for Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. DKK 84,864. Grant 23-03-0035.

2004 Research project: Forests, livelihoods and farmers: increasing small-holder farmers’ possibilities to use forests and trees in improving rural livelihoods. Funded by the Interim Committee for Mozambique-Denmark Research Collaboration. DKK 883,212 in 2004-06. Partners were the Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering at the Eduardo Mondlane University, Forestry Experimental Centre, and the National Directorate of Rural Extension. Grant no. 04/Danida/FORLIFE.

2003 Research and capacity building project: Community based natural forest and tree management in the Himalaya. Funded by the Council for Development Research (RUF) at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. DKK 6,999,290 in 2003-07. Partner was the Institute of Forestry at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Grant no. 104.Dan.8.L.716.

2002 Educational development project: Web-based teaching in tropical forestry. Funded by the Faculty of Life Sciences. DKK 1,600,000 in 2002-06. Partner was the IT Learning Centre at the Faculty of Life Sciences.

2001 Research project: Relations between people and biodiversity: the case of non-timber forest products. Funded by the Danish Environmental Research Programme. DKK 356,303 (LIFE budget only) in 2001-03. Partners were Kasetsart University and Chiang Mai University. No grant no.

2000- PhD scholarships: applying for PhD scholarships and grants to cover field work costs in close collaboration with potential PhD students; from Research Councils and the University of Copenhagen. So far raised eight fully funded scholarships (in addition to a number of scholarships included in various projects). Total amount raised, excl. project funds, approx. DKK 11,800,000.

1999 Research project: The economic importance of commercial medicinal plants to Nepal. Funded by the Council for Development Research (RUF) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. DKK 217,968 in 1999-2001. Partner was the Department of Plant Resources in the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal. Grant no. 90906.

1997 Study tour for MSc forestry students “Forestry, sustainable land use and natural resources management in the Republic of South Africa: a study tour”. Funded by Danced under the Ministry of Environment and Energy. DKK 133,500. No grant no.

1993 PhD scholarship. Funded by the Council for Development Research (RUF) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. DKK 962,799 in 1993-1996. Grant no. 104.Dan.8/639.

Current and Previous Positions:

2009- Co-ordinator of the global Erasmus Mundus PhD programme Forest and Nature for Society (FONASO). Responsible for consortium management and development, total budget of DKK 50 million.

2008- Professor (Chair: Forest and people in developing countries)

2005- Director of the Erasmus Mundus Masters Course Sustainable Tropical Forestry (SUTROFOR). Responsible for consortium management and development, total budget of DKK 41 million.

2006-08 Chairman of the Faculty of Life Sciences Committee for Internationalisation and Development Collaboration (KINU). Responsible for overall direction of faculty’s internationalisation, incl. annual budget of DKK 1.9 million.

2004 Visiting scholar, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Padova, Italy

2001-08 Associate Professor in Tropical Forestry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

2001-03 Director of the MSc programme in Agricultural Development, the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL).

1999 Visiting scholar, Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

1998-2001 Assistant Professor in Forestry in Less Developed Countries, Department of Economics and Natural Resources, KVL.

1997-98 Amanuensis, Department of Economics and Natural Resources, KVL.

1995- Consultant for a number of private companies and ministries.

1993-96 PhD student, Department of Economics and Natural Resources, KVL.

Positions of Trust:

2010- Co-ordinator for International Union of Forestry Research Organisation’s (IUFRO) Working Party on Medicinal Forest Products (in Division 5).

2010- Associate Editor, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystems Services & Management

2009- Faculty of Life Sciences advisory board on use of technology in education, member

2008-10 Editorial Board member, International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management.

2007-08 Editorial Board member, United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), Vital Forest Graphics.

2007-08 Chairman of DANES Associates; an association of organisations involved in agriculturally related projects in developing countries.

2007 Chairman of the five faculty research group preparing the “Ecosystems and livelihoods – challenges of change” theme in University Research Proposal 1.

2006-08 Chairman of the Public-Private Partnership Committee, deciding on project co-funding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Faculty of Life Sciences.

2006- Member of the Faculty of Life Sciences Grant Commission; annually evaluating and awarding student grants of approx. DKK 1 million.

2005-10 Appointed Key Supervisor in the Research School for Forest, Landscape and Planning (REFOLANA).

2005-07 Member of the Danish Ministry of Education Committee on Internationalisation of University Educations.

2005-09 Member of the Forestry Grant Commission (Skovbrugsfonden).

2004- Key Resource Person in the Poverty and Environment Network (PEN) facilitated by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

2004- Deputy Board member of the Scandinavian Society of Forest Economists.

2002-05 Member of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University’s International Committee.

2002-10 Deputy co-ordinator for International Union of Forestry Research Organisation’s (IUFRO) Working Party on Medicinal Forest Products (in Division 5).

2001- Member of the Board of Representatives, CARE-Denmark.

2000-06 Chairman of Working Group on International Forestry in Scandinavian Society of Forest Economists.

2000-02 Member of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University’s Board for Developing Countries.

2000 Chairman of the Land Use Education Committee, KVL; designing the MSc programme in Agricultural Development.

1999 Founder member of the Nepal NTFP Network.

1998- Member of the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Medicinal Plant Specialist Group.

Reviewer for the journals: Agricultural Economics, Ecological Economics, Forest Policy and Economics, Economic Botany, Land Use Policy, Biological Conservation, Environmental Conservation, Journal of Environmental Management, Mountain Research and Development, International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management, Agroforestry Systems, Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Traffic Bulletin, Danish Journal of Geography, Annals of Tropical Research

Reviewer for the National Environmental Research Council, UK
Reviewer for the International Foundation for Science
Reviewer for the National Research Foundation South Africa.

Scientific Education:

1999 KVL Course in Supervision
1998 KVL Assistant Professor Course in Pedagogic Training
1997 PhD in Forest and Natural Resources Policy, KVL
1992 MSc in Forestry, KVL

Awards:

2007 The University of Copenhagen Prize for Best E-learning
2002 The Heilmann Honorary Award for Research

Teaching:

2006- Course responsible and teaching Applied Socio-economics in Tropical Forestry (MSc level, 7.5 ECTS).

2005-07 Responsible for the pilot project “Developing e-learning in agricultural development”.

2005- Internal censor in Participatory Forest Management (MSc level, 7.5 ECTS).

2004-06 Co-responsible teacher for the course Introduction to Agricultural Development (BSc level, 7.5 ECTS).

2003-04 Responsible for developing and implementing the pilot project in developing distance teaching “Web-based teaching in tropical forestry”.

2002- Mentoring the development of new courses: Qualitative Methods in Agricultural Development (MSc level, 7.5 ECTS), Applied Ethnobotany (MSc level, 7.5 ECTS), and Research Planning (MSc level, 7.5 ECTS).

2001-03 Co-responsible teacher for the Thematic course on interdisciplinary land use and natural resource management B (MSc level, 9 ECTS).

2000-05 Course responsible and teaching Tropical Forestry A (MSc level, 6 ECTS) and Tropical Forestry B (MSc level, 12 ECTS).

1998-2001 Co-responsible teacher for the Thematic Course on Land Use in Developing Countries (MSc level, 24 ECTS).

1998-2000 Course responsible and teaching Forestry in Less Developed Countries (MSc level, 9 ECTS).

1998 Contributed to the development of the Sustainable Land Use (SLUSE) teaching programme established between KVL, University of Copenhagen and Roskilde University.

1998- Contributing to a number of different courses, including Basic Development Studies, Community Forestry/Participatory Forest Management, Agroforestry, Integrated Land Use and Natural Resource Management, Qualitative Methods in Agricultural Development.

Supervision:

Total of 14 PhD students, 33 MSc theses students, 21 BSc theses students, and 49 MSc thematic course students.