Kofi Akamani is an Associate Professor of Forest Recreation and Conservation Social Science in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His research agenda involves the integration of concepts from social–ecological systems research, common pool resources, and rural sociology among other fields with the aim of gaining a theoretical understanding of human–environment interactions and informing policies that promote human well-being and ecosystem health across the rural-urban continuum. He is particularly interested in understanding the linkages between the resilience of resource-dependent communities and the adaptive governance of forests, water resources, and agricultural landscapes in Ghana and the US.