Volume 8, July 2012

FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Circumstances beyond our control led us to combine three volumes in one in 2011. In our first four years, we turned out 652 pages of original research papers contributed by 132 authors from various countries around the globe. Last year, 103 pages of original research papers were added to the 652 pages in the first four volumes to make 755 pages. Our target for this year is to hit the 1,000 page mark. This volume consists of 210 pages thus making a total of 965 pages which is for now just 35 pages short of our target of 1,000 pages. The good news is that this target will be met because Volume 9 will be published before the end of this year.

This special volume is a selection of 22 out of the 51 academic papers presented at the first Annual Conference of Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo (WUSTO). Researchers from 21 tertiary institutions in the country and other stakeholders gathered at the Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo for this conference from August 02 to 06, 2011. The theme of the Conference was: Soil protection in Nigeria and the rest of the tropics in the first decade of the 21st Century – Linking food, hunger and climate change problems with ecosystem malfunctioning underground.” At this conference, participants brainstormed on the multi- and inter-disciplinary issues on soil protection in the tropical region. The Conference was concluded by a Round Table Discussion by erudite scholars of soil studies who addressed the question on what the focus of soil protection in the tropics should be. Should it be agents involved in the functioning of the soil ecosystem or the soil functions themselves? In all, this conference was attended by close to 100 participants from all over Nigeria.

Our old website at http://www.oauife.edu.ng/faculties/science/environtropica.htm has been migrated to http://www.wusto.edu.ng/environtropica. Our registration with African Journals on Line (AJOL) has already been completed.

This year’s conference whose theme is “Soil and Water as Repositories for Pollutants from Industries and Agriculture” will take place from July 30 to August 03 this year in Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo where over 100 researchers and stakeholders in environmental science studies are expected to be in attendance. Papers presented at this conference will be processed for publication in Volume 10 of Environtropica. There is no doubt that the Environtropica family is growing. It has a sound footing in Nigeria and very soon the tentacles will spread throughout the world’s global village.

Prof. ‘Tola Badejo