Environmental Stewardship Award

Environmental Stewardship Award

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2025 Winner: Nelson Odume

Dr. Oghenekaro Nelson Odume is a Professor and the Director of the Institute for Water Research (IWR) at Rhodes University in South Africa. Nelson’s research is at the interface of science-policy-practice, taking a social-ecological systems approach. Nelson has led several multi-stakeholders, multi-country collaborative projects focusing on improving water quality, protecting river catchments, strengthening community participatory capacity, generating insights and knowledge into the nexus between water security and equity, securing water for vulnerable communities and livelihoods, developing tools and guidelines for addressing contested water quality challenges.

Nelson has contributed to stewardship of water resources through multiple projects that improve the scientific basis of water and water quality in South Africa and beyond. These projects promise to sustain freshwaters not only through technical improvements, but through engagement with policy and decision makers, practitioners, businesses, industries, community actors and education from primary schools to mentoring of future scientific leaders in Africa and beyond. The integration of scientific management, outreach, active engagement, training, and a collaborative philosophy reflected in these projects is exceptional and noteworthy.

Nelson was the inaugural recipient of the Emerging River Leader Award by the International River Foundation in Australia, and the Bronze Medal Award by the Southern Africa Society of Aquatic Scientists. Nelson seats on editorial boards of several scientific journals, including Aquatic Sciences and Freshwater Science. He is a member of the scientific committee of the South African Bureau of Standards responsible for developing water quality standards. Nelson believes in strengthening Africa’s scientific capacity to manage its water resources. To this end, he has secured large grants that provided doctoral and masters scholarships to over 50 students and staff in the field of water science from 23 African countries.

Nelson is the Chair of the African Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS). Since assuming this position, he has worked with his team to implement several capacity building initiatives and programs for early career scientists in Africa. 

From Dr. Odume's letter of nomination for this award:

We are very fortunate to have such an excellent scientist among our ranks at SFS. If we are to become ambassadors for our science on the world stage, we will need people like Nelson to guide us through the complex science-policy interface.

Nelson has distinguished himself as an aquatic researcher, educator, and contributor to the conservation, restoration and protection of our freshwater resources.  While his work is largely focused in Africa, it has had application globally. He has brought his aquatic research into the transboundary of science, policy, and society, knowing that good science needs to be translatable to good governance and ethical practice in order to be effective at achieving and preserving the goals of freshwater conservation.

About the Award:

The recipient of the SFS Enivironmental Stewardship Award will be a Society member or non-member who has successfully translated scientific knowledge into the social/public arena through policy or regulatory reform, research that enhances freshwater ecosystem rehabilitation or conservation, or public outreach and science education that strengthens public support for managing freshwater ecosystems. The nominating letter should clearly and directly link the nominee’s activities to positive policy, conservation, and/or societal outcomes regarding the preservation and wise management of freshwater ecosystems. Nominations of people from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to increase the diversity of SFS Awardees. Submit your nominations for the SFS Environmental Stewardship Award here.

Recipients