Ignatius Siko

Graduate Research Assistant
Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department

Office: 287B Lehotsky Hall
Phone:

Email: iomarib@clemson.edu

Educational Background

MA Environmental Policy
University of Nairobi 2019

BS Environmental Planning and Management
Kenyatta University 2015

Profile

Ignatius is a PhD student in the Dwivedi Forest Sustainability Lab (DFSL). His research seeks to examine the social acceptability and economic aspects of the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the Southeastern United States. Specifically, his work will focus on promoting conservation practices as approved by the CRP in private lands, contributing both to the increased flow of ecosystem services and program adoption. His master's research focused on the sustainability and economic aspects of charcoal production as a management and utilization strategy of dealing with the invasive Prosopis juliflora in Baringo County, Kenya.

As a researcher, Ignatius has contributed extensively to sustainability and conservation science, especially in the use and management of natural resources. Key highlights of his past work include interdisciplinary collaborations in various roles across the private sector and international organizations such as CIFOR-ICRAF (World Agroforestry), UN-HABITAT, and Conservation International (CI), among others. In his free time, Ignatius enjoys hiking, watching soccer, and teaching Sunday school.

Research Interests

•Forest resources sustainability & conservation science
•Spatial & economic modeling
•Environmental policy
•Nature-based solutions

Publications

• United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)., (2025). A Guide for Urban Managers. Effective Climate Governance in Intermediary Cities: A Focus on Climate Mitigation. Nairobi, Kenya. https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2025/06/a_guide_for_urban_managers.pdf

• Conservation International (CI).,(2024). Understanding REDD+, Nature-based Solutions & Carbon Markets. A Comprehensive Training Toolkit. Nairobi Kenya. https://climate-ark.org/

• Njenga, M., Kirimi, M., Koech, G., Wanjira, E.O., Muriuki, J., Sola, P., Bourne, M., Siko, I. and Mendum, R., (2023). Improvements in charcoal production and the environmental implications: potential for the invasive Prosopis juliflora in Kenya. Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances, p.200181.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcradv.2023.200181

• Policy, Legislation and Governance Section (PLGS) Annual Report 2022., (2023). United Nations Human Settlements Programme, (UN-Habitat).

• Siko I., Sola P., Mulwa R., & Otieno P., (2021). Evaluating charcoal producers' preferences for improved production systems in Marigat sub county, Baringo County., Environmental Challenges,100275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100 275.

• Sola P., Bourne M., Okeyo I., & Siko I., (2020). Governance of woodfuel value chains in Kenya. An analysis of policies, legislative frameworks and institutional mechanisms. CIFOR Occasional Paper. https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor/007890

• Ndegwa G., Sola P., Siko I., Kirimi M., Wanjira EO., Koech G., Ihalainen M., Iiyama M., Muriuki J., Njenga M., (2021). The charcoal value chain in Kenya: Actors, practices and trade flows in selected sites. Technical Report. Nairobi, Kenya: World Agroforestry. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115414

• Bourne, M., Sola, P., Njenga, M., Koech, G., Kirimi M., Siko, I., & Otieno, E., (2020). Towards sustainable charcoal production and trade in Baringo County (Vol. 293). https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor/007719

Links