Dr. Zachariah Haruna Mshelia is a seasoned Environmental and GIS Specialist with over a decade of experience in geospatial applications for environmental management, disaster risk reduction, and climate resilience. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Management and three Master’s degrees in Environmental Management, Geography, and GIS, reflecting his robust interdisciplinary background.

His professional journey encompasses academia, research, and consultancy, with notable contributions as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of the Free State’s Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC), and prior service as a Research Fellow at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria. Dr. Mshelia also serves as a trainer and sessional lecturer, having taught courses such as GIS for Disaster Risk Management, Conservation Biogeography, and Environmental Economics at several institutions, including the University of the Witwatersrand and University of Ibadan.

Dr. Mshelia’s consultancy portfolio includes high-impact roles with the USAID E-WASH program, World Bank’s NEWMAP, UNDP-GEF, and municipal disaster planning projects across Nigeria and South Africa. He possesses advanced technical skills in ArcGIS, QGIS, remote sensing, spatial modelling, R, and Vensim, among others.

His research interests centre on GIS and remote sensing for environmental management, forest and coastal ecosystem modelling, and nature-based solutions. He has published over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has supervised postgraduate students working on flood and fire risk, coastal resilience, and wastewater management.

He is an active member of professional bodies, including the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), AARSE, and the Geoinformation Society of Nigeria. Fluent in both English and Hausa, Dr. Mshelia combines academic excellence, technical expertise, and practical experience, making him a valuable asset to multidisciplinary teams focused on sustainable development, environmental resilience, and geospatial intelligence.

PUBLICATIONS

1. Mshelia, Z. H., Amatebelle, E. C., & Belle, J. A. (2025). Geospatial Analysis of Shoreline Change of eThekwini Coastline from 1990–2023. Scientific African, e02685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02685
2. Louis, S., Belle, J., Mshelia, Z., & Dirwai, T. (2025). Exploring the significance of treated wastewater reuse in urban agriculture and resilient cities: a bibliometric analysis. Water Reuse, jwrd2025101. https://doi.org/10.2166/wrd.2025.101
3. Nghiningwa, A. N., Adelekan, I. O., & Mshelia, Z. H. (2025). Shoreline change, sea level rise and the impacts along the coastline of Walvis Bay, Namibia. Ocean & Coastal Management, 266, 107690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107690
4. Zachariah H. Mshelia & Johanes A. Belle (2024) A systematic flood risk assessment of Bloemfontein Watershed, South Africa, Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 15:1, 2423739, https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2024.2423739
5. Mshelia, Z.H., Nyam, Y.S., Moises, D.J., and Belle, J.A (2024) Geospatial analysis of flood risk hazard in Zambezi Region, Namibia. Environmental Challenges 15 100915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2024.100915
6. Koumba Biname, D. W., Gbadegesin, A. S., Okanga-Guay, M., Mshelia, Z.H. and Essono Mbegha, L.R.  (2024). Land use/land cover dynamics using support vector machine in the area of Lambaréné, Gabon, from 1988 to 2022. Journal of Applied and Natural Science, 16(2), 890 - 900. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v16i2.5476
7. Israel, R; Akintunde-Alo, D. A; Mshelia, Z. H; Oluwajuwon, T. V (2024). Geodatabase and Health Risk Assessment of Avenue Trees on Selected Roads in a Tertiary Institution in Ibadan, Nigeria. J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. 28 (7) 2105-2114
8. Aigbokhan, O. J., Adedeji, O. H., Oladoye, A. O., Mshelia, Z. H. (2023). Urban Landscape Morphological Analysis Using Spatial Matrices. A Case of Benin City. The Trajectory of Sustainable Development, 7, 92-115. Available at: https://www.hsdni.org/journal/articles/.
9. Mshelia, Z. H. and Aigbokhan, O. J. (2023). Soil Carbon Estimation and Spatial Variability of Soil Properties in Omo Biosphere Reserve, Ogun State, Nigeria. Ife Social Sciences Review 31 (1), 29-51
10. Mshelia, Z. H., Aigbokhan, O. J; Agbor, C. F. (2022). Analysis of Forest Dynamics using Landscape Metrics and Markov Chain Model in Omo Forest Reserve, Ogun State, Nigeria. J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. 26 (9) 1565-1573
11. Mshelia Z.H., Bamgboye, A. I., Onilude, M. A. and O.J. Taiwo (2022) Geospatial Modelling of Forest Canopy Density and Landscape Assessment in Omo Biosphere Reserve, South western Nigeria. Journal of Tropical Forestry and Environmental. Vol. 11 No. 1 48-66 https://doi.org/10.31357/jtfe.v11i02.5596
12. Aigbokhan O.J. Essien N.E and Mshelia Z.H. (2022) Comparative Study of Indices used for Extraction of Sentinel-2A. Journal of Forestry Research and Management Vol. 19(3) 1-12, ISSN 0189-8418
13. Okonkwo, S.J. and Mshelia, Z.H. (2022). Artificial Neural Network Modelling of Aboveground Biomass from Tropical Rainforest in Nigeria. J. Nat. Sci. Engr. & Tech. 2022, 21(1&2):37-49.
14. Osayomi T, Olobo Jnr P, Ogunwumi T, Fatayo O.C, Akpoterai L.E, Mshelia Z.H and Abatcha

    I.U. (2022) “I lost all I had to the flood…”: A Post-Disaster Assessment of the 2018 Kogi State Flood in Nigeria. Ife Social Sciences Review 30(2), 1-20,

15. Aigbokhan, O.J., Ogoliegbune, O.M., Essien, N.E., Mshelia, Z.H. and Okumodi, B. O. (2022) Spatio-Temporal Mapping of Wetland Ecosystem in Abeokuta North LGA, Nigeria. Zaria Geographer Vol. 29, No. 1, 55-70
16. Mshelia Z. H. Adamu I. S. and Afolabi O.S. (2021). Assessment of Forest Loss and Degradation in Omo Forest Reserve, Ogun State, Journal of Forestry Research and Management. Vol. 18(4).28-40; ISSN 0189-8418.
17. Okonkwo, S.J. and Mshelia, Z. H. (2021) Estimating Aboveground Biomass Using Allometric Models and Adaptive Learning Rate Optimization Algorithms. J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. Vol. 25 (7) 1109-1116. DOI:https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v25i7.6.

17.      Mshelia Z.H., Bamgboye, A. I. and Onilude, M. A. (2020) Spectral Radiometric Technique   for Carbon Estimation in Omo Forest Reserve, South Western, Nigeria. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife & Environment Vol. 12(3). ISBN: 2141 – 1778

18.       Korter, G., Olubusoye, O., Mshelia, Z., and Oyebode, T. (2016). Spatial Analysis of Digital   Technologies and Impact on Socio-Cultural Values in Selected Communities in Nigeria. Africa Journal of Sustainable Development Vol. 6:2 (71-88)

Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters

1. Mshelia, Z.H. and Taiwo, O.J. (2021) Assessment of Forest Cover Change using Forest Canopy Density Model in Omo Biosphere Reserve, South western Nigeria in Towards Achieving a Sustainable Environment. Edited by Gbadegesin, A.S., Oderinde, F.O., Enarruvbe, G.O and Olaniran, H.D. Pg 186 – 199
2. Mshelia, Z.H. and Ode, G.O. (2015). Drainage Morphometric Analysis of Ogunpa, Ogbere and Ona Basins in Ibadan, in Frontiers in Environmental Research and Sustainable Environment in the “1st century. Edited by A.S. Gbadegesin et al. Pg. 105 – 116. Ibadan University Press
3. Ode, G.O. and Mshelia, Z.H. (2015). Risks, Hazards and Vulnerability Assessment of Petrol Filling Stations in Abeokuta Metropolis in Balogun O.Y. & Aderogba A.A. (Eds). Environmental Risk and Management. Department of Geography & Environmental Management. Tai Solarin University of Education. Pg. 321 – 340

Conference Proceedings

1. Aigbokhan O. J.; Mephors J. O.; Agbor C. F.; Afolabi O. S.; Mshelia Z. H.; Essien N. E. Analysis of Rainfall Anomaly Index as a Component of Climate Change in Ibadan City, Oyo State, Nigeria. (2023). Proceeding of the 13^th National Conference of the Nigeria Associations Hydrological Sciences (NAHS). Pages 226-236