Baba Dioum (b.1937) is a Senegalese forestry engineer and environmentalist known for his contributions to agricultural development and natural resource management in Africa. His work focuses on sustainable conservation, forestry policies, and ecological education.
Born in Dahra, Senegal, Dioum studied natural sciences at the University of Dakar before continuing his education at the Sorbonne in France. He later earned his Diplôme d’Ingénieur des Eaux et Forêts from the École nationale des eaux et forêts in Nancy, specializing in forestry engineering.
In 1967, Dioum became Senegal’s Director General of Water and Forestry, a role he held until 1973. He later served as CEO of the Société Nationale de Fourrage (SONAFOR) 1974–80 and Director of the Agricultural Policy Unit in the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture (1981–95.) Since 1991, he has been Coordinator General for the Conference of West and Central African Ministers of Agriculture, advocating regional agricultural policies.
Dioum is widely recognized for his 1968 speech at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) General Assembly, stating: In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Baba Dioum
For in the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.
—Baba Dioum
Topics: Love, Teachers, Teaching, Understanding, Education
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