Ulrich Apel

Ulrich is a Senior Environmental Specialist working on desertification, land degradation, and drought. He coordinates the Land Degradation Focal Area and the Global Environment Facility's engagement with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Ulrich leads a team of experts working on sustainable land management, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable dryland management.

Prior to joining the GEF, he worked for 15 years as a consultant for forestry and natural resource management in various bi- and multilateral development projects and programs. Ulrich was chief technical advisor of several large-scale reforestation and sustainable forest management projects in Vietnam and China. He also engaged in field research in community forestry and in analytical and advisory work related to land use planning, agriculture policy, land tenure, community livelihoods, and legal framework analysis. Ulrich holds a master's in forestry sciences and a Ph.D. in tropical and subtropical forest management from the University of Goettingen, Germany.