Research in Context
Research Programs around the world
Projects in Africa
Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry CIFOR-ICRAF.
World Agroforestry
Tree Productivity and Diversity Theme (TREEs Theme)
The research center CIFOR-ICRAF aims to address significant issues for the environment and forests on a global scale: Biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, value chain and inequity (CIFOR-ICRAF n.d.).
Ecologist Roeland Kindt is the lead researcher of Tree Productivity and Diversity Theme (TREEs Theme). His research is on tree species suitability modelling and mapping, combining ensemble suitability modelling algorithms (integrated in the Biodiversity R package that has been installed > 240,000 times since 2012) with information on distribution and species assemblages of potential natural vegetation types found in interactive mapping tools including the Vegetationmap4Africa, Useful Tree Species for Africa, What to Plant Where in Ethiopia portals, the Africa Tree Finder and climate change atlases for Central America and Africa (CIFOR-ICRAF 2025).
Besides the resources with a focus on Africa, Roeland Kindt's work has produced a series of tools that support decision making on tree species selection across diverse landscapes such as TreeGOER. They are listed in the "Species Distribution Modelling" page (CIFOR-ICRAF 2025, Africa Platform 2023, Booth & Jovanovic 2025).
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National Park near the city of Nairobi, Kenya. The institution CIFOR-ICRAF has a network of many locations, most of them in Africa. Image credit: Murad Swaleh 2021. Lone Giraffe as seen at the Nairobi National Park with backdrop of Nairobi's Skyscrapers. [Online image] Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/green-grass-field-with-green-trees-and-buildings-in-distance-under-white-clouds-and-blue-sky-7tDidSXbgD8​
Hillside landscape in Ethiopia with resilient acacia tree. Image credit: Kamran Ali 2024. Lone acacia tree stands resiliently on a rugged Ethiopian hillside under a clear blue sky, embodying the serene and enduring beauty of the Ethiopian landscape.. [Online image] Shutterstock.https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lone-acacia-tree-stands-resiliently-on-2504224987
REFERENCES
PAPERS
Booth, T. H., & Jovanovic, T. (2025).
Mapping climatically suitable areas for tree species across the globe: comparing TreeGOER-based maps with previous maps generated for nine selected eucalypt species.
Australian Forestry, 88(1), 11–19.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00049158.2025.2465225
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RESEARCH CENTERS
CIFOR-ICRAF. (n.d.).
Home | CIFOR-ICRAF.
Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry CIFOR-ICRAF. (2025, August 4).
Research staff
https://www.cifor-icraf.org/research-staff/roeland-kindt/
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​Africa platform, Ghent University. 2023
"A Climate Change Atlas for Africa to Guide Tree Planting in the Continent", expert seminar by Kindt Roeland
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DATASETS
Botanical Information and Ecology Network BIEN. (n.d.).
https://bien.nceas.ucsb.edu/bien/
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Global Biodiversity Information Facility GBIF. (n.d.).
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