ABDOU SALAM OUÉDRAOGO (1957-2000) 1
- in memoriam-
Our friend and colleague, Abdou Salam Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso, died in an air crash off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire in January 2000, while on duty travel in Africa. Abdou Salam, who was only 43 years old when he died, was the first full-time IPGRI forest genetic resources scientist, and acted in that position from 1995 to 1999. In 1999, he was promoted IPGRI Regional Director for Africa.
Abdou Salam Ouédraogo received his PhD from Wageningen, Netherlands, where he worked on Parkia biglobosa, a dry-zone multi-purpose tree species widely used by local communities in his native Sahel. Abdou Salam's first concern was always the people living in, around and of the forest, and it was very telling that he chose Parkia for further study and as the focus for his thesis. The thesis included an important component on socio-economic aspects in the conservation and use of this important species.
Abdou Salam Ouédraogo was the Founding Father of the Tree Seed Centre in Burkina Faso. During his lifetime, he also carried out a great number of international assignments, and worked with IUFRO, IPGRI, FAO and others. Among his many important assignments and tasks, Abdou Salam Ouédraogo acted as Member of the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources, covering forest genetic resources aspects and issues in countries of the Sahel prior to joining IPGRI.
Abdou Salam Ouédraogo helped raise awareness in developing countries, especially those in his own region of origin, the Sahel, of the need to conserve and sustainably utilize forests and woodlands, and of the opportunities and the pressing need to harmonize conservation with sustainable resource utilization. His efforts contributed decisively to strengthened technical interest and policy level support to the field of forest genetic resources in national and international fora.
Abdou Salam Ouédraogo was sincerely convinced of the value of collaboration at national, regional and global levels, and was a strong and tireless alley of FAO's work in the forest genetic resources field. Abdou Salam's strong affinity with FAO was much appreciated: he helped further strengthen working relations and collaboration between IPGRI and FAO, and facilitated common and complementary efforts of these two institutions in support of work carried out in the forest genetic resources field by national institutes in developing countries.
In addition to being an excellent professional, Abdou Salam Ouédraogo was a wonderful and warm person, and an appreciated friend of those he knew personally. His firm belief and faith in a better future for all, especially for the less endowed, was convincing and contagious.
We will continue to work towards common global goals in the forest genetic resources field supported by the foundations of Abdou Salam's past work and inspired by remembering, always, his big and immediate smile.
1 Adapted from talk given by Christel Palmberg-Lerche, FAO, at the Symposium, "In situ Conservation of Tropical Arboreous Species", held in honor of late Abdou Salam Ouédraogo (IPGRI). 46th National Genetics Conference. Simposio 11. Águas de Lindóia, S.P. (Brazil). September 2000.