Prof. Faustino Lataru Orach-Meza

Professor Faustino Lataru Orach-Meza, an ecologist, is a highly qualified and experienced scientist and researcher with specialization in natural resources development and management in addition to public administration and organizational frameworks. Born on 20th October 1941 in Gulu, Uganda, where his parents had moved to from Moyo in Uganda, he had his primary and secondary education in St. Joseph Primary School and St. Joseph Junior Secondary School respectively in Gulu from 1948 to 1955 before proceeding to St. Aloysius College, Nyapea, in the then Arua District in Uganda for his Senior Secondary School education. He went to the United States of American in 1963 after having been in training courses for dispensing of medical drugs, for stenography, and for public administration from 1960.

He obtained his B.Sc. in 1967 in Zoology with a specialization in fisheries biology and biostatistics, MSc. in 1975 in Animal Science with specialization in nutrition and biostatics, and PhD in 1978 in Biological Oceanography with specialization in ecology while simultaneously serving as a Research Associate. His service experience included working in the fisheries sector where he rose in rank from position of Fisheries Officer to that of the Commissioner for Fisheries between 1967 and 1997, conducting research on sustainable management of renewable natural resources, managing development projects that included the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme (LVEMP) in which he played a major role in the proposal and eventually serving as the National Executive Secretary of LVEMP from 1997 to 2006. He later joined his current career in academics in 2006 where he rose in positions from Senior Lecturer to Professor and was Head of Department of Natural Resources for three years and Dean of the School of Sciences for seven years. His aspiration, which is also the focus of many of his publications, is to ensure sustainable development and utilization of the available natural resources through adaptive technology for the benefit of mankind.

Research Interests

Sustainability of natural resources with primary interest in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, water, minerals, land use, and environmental sciences; and secondary interest in public administration, institutional frameworks, and humanities.

Staff Publications

Staff Members

Current Projects

Promoting the Nomination of Lake Victoria Basin Ecosystem as a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve funded by UNESCO.
General Ecosystem Modeling for Predicting the Productivity of Lake Victoria funded by Nkumba University.
PhD, M.Sc., and B.Sc. Research Projects being supervised that are being funded by the individual students.

Previous Projects

Proposed, planned, and implemented the Lake Victoria Environment Management Project, a regional project involving Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda under World Bank. I was the National Executive Secretary.
Proposed, planned, and implemented Fisheries Statistics Project, a national project under United Nations Development Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization. I was the Team Leader and Project Coordinator.
Fisheries Biology and Water Resources Consultant for Lakes Albert/Edward Fisheries Planning and Water Resources Management Project, a regional project involving Republic of Congo and Uganda under African Development Bank.
Institutional Framework Consultant for Water Resources Planning, Mapping, and Management Project involving the IGAD countries under the African Development Bank.
Fisheries Biology and Management Consultant for the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis for Lake Victoria, a regional project involving Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda under East African Community and African Development Bank.
Proposed, planned, and implemented the Assessment of the Need and Possibility of Establishing Water Resources Institute in Uganda under Ministry of Water and Environment.

Seventeen (17) other smaller projects including PhD, M.Sc., and B.Sc. Research Projects supervised; the details are in my Curriculum Vitae

Staff Supervision

Presentations

very many presentations over the years but the most recent ones include the following:
Provision of Innovative and Productive Road Map for Nkumba University to Greater Heights;
Utilization of Human Potential for the Achievement of Best Aspiration in Life: the Case for University Students;
Nature’s Challenges to Peace and Conflict Resolution;
Demands and Expectations of Doctor of Philosophy Study;
Scholarly (Academic) Writing and Publication;
Formulation of Chapter One of Research Proposal: The Introduction;
Hints on Writing a Project Proposals;
Research Methods: Evaluation Check List for B.Sc. and MSc. Research and Dissertation.

Other Info

Oceanography is the branch of Earth Science that studies the biology, chemistry, physics, and geology of the aquatic system with a focus on oceans. It covers a wide range of topics, including understanding global climate changes, potential global warming and related biosphere concerns; marine organisms and ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics; plate tectonics and the geology of the sea floor; and fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries.

This PhD course at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA, lasts for three years.