Victor Agyei

Academic Qualifications

  • MPhil Wildlife And Range Management
  • BSc. Natural Resources Management
  • Diploma in Ecology
  • Diploma in Sustainable Development
  • Diploma in Project Management

Role and Responsibility

Lecturer (Teaching, Research and Community Service)

Address

AAMUSTED-Mampong Campus

P.O. Box 40

Asante Mampong

Contact

Department

Biological Sciences Education

Faculty

Science Education

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

VA holds an MPhil in Wildlife and Range Management and BSc. (Hons) Natural Resource Management from KNUST. I aspire to be a leading researcher in conservation biology, species/habitat ecology, climate science, and sustainable development. I am passionate about the sustainable use of resources, applications of Remote Sensing/GIS & technologies in natural resource management, proper waste management, and rural community development.

My experience in field research includes an expanding base of various surveys and projects on Forbes, forest inventory, odonates, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, birds, primates, ungulates, and several other large mammals. I have also assisted in various projects on plant species assessment and interactions between Multipurpose Tree Species and Agricultural crops in Agroforestry establishments, water use, and quality assessments, and mapping interactions between cash crops and forests. I am the Research and Policy Captain for the Ghana Climate Hub and a Nat Geo Photo Ark EDGE Fellow (2020 – 2022 cohort) working on the conservation of Leatherback sea turtles in Ghana.

 

Academic Qualifications

MPHIL Wildlife and Range Management, KNUST

BSc. Natural Resources Management, KNUST  

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS / MEMBERSHIPS
  • National Geographic Photo Ark Edge Fellow (2020 – 2022 cohort)
  • National Geographic Society Explorers in Africa
  • Ghana Science Association
  • Citizens Climate Lobby (Citizens Climate International)
  • KNUST CITES Scientific Authority
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND SUPERVISION

My research interests lie in conservation science, wildlife management, habitat ecology, habitat management, and sociological considerations in conservation science, GIS and sustainable utilization of natural resources. I am currently focused on building digital resources on several threatened species and habitats in Ghana, aimed at streamlining Ghana’s conservation sector with international best practices and promote standardization of efforts. This will also enable application of technology in the protection and long-term survival of natural resources in Ghana, the West African region and beyond.

I have led and been a team member on various researches and initiatives aimed at conserving notable threatened species in Ghana, including

Reptiles: Leatherback sea turtle, Green sea turtle, Olive ridley sea turtle, Home’s Hinged-back tortoise, Eroded Hinge-back tortoise, Slender-snouted crocodile, West African Dwarf crocodile

Amphibians: Giant Squeaker Frog (Krokosua Squeaking Frog), Spirit-night Frog

Birds: Diverse species

Mammals: Black-bellied Tree pangolin, White-bellied Tree Pangolin, Kob (and various ungulate species), Noack’s Roundleaf Bat, Straw-coloured fruit bat, Nile Hippopotamus

Landscape Level: KNUST Biodiversity Inventory Project, KNUST GML Project, Forests 2020 Project (KNUST/FC), KNUST Wewe River Amphibians Project (K-WRAP), Bia-Goa-Tano Watershed Monitoring Project, Kumasi Wetlands and Birds Monitoring Project, Cashew for Climate Adaptation Project (Wenchi), Cocoa-Forest Mosaic Project (Juaboso), Vanilla Introduction in Ghana Trials, Adapting Invasive Species for Climate Change Mitigation Project (Amansie West)

TEACHING INTERESTS
  • Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization
  • Biostatistics
  • Conservation Science
  • Research Methods
  • Forest and Wildlife Management
  • Species Ecology
  • Habitat Ecology
  • Landscape Ecology
  • Fisheries Science and Aquaculture
  • Hydrology and Watershed Management
  • Range Utilization and Management
  • Remote Sensing
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Environmental Governance
  • Environmental Policy
  • Sociology
  • Environmental Physiology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Ornithology
  • Herpetology
  • Mammalogy
  • Experimental Design
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Victor Agyei (2022) Tracking threats to sea turtles nesting activities using local ecological knowledge. Tropical Biology Association Communicating Conservation Impacts Delegates Workshop, Accra – Ghana.

Victor Agyei, Caleb Ofori-Boateng, Fran Cabada-Blanco, Paul Barnes (2021) Closer Look: Victor Agyei and the Leatherback Sea Turtle at the Muni-Pomadze Ramsar Site. National Geographic Closer Look Series

Victor Agyei (2020) Status and Nesting Ecology of the Leatherback Sea Turtle at the Muni Pomadze Ramsar Site. Virtual 2020 NEWF Congress

Victor Agyei (2020) Leatherback Sea Turtles in Focus. National Geographic Explorer Spotlight, Kruger National Park, South Africa

Ohene Boakye Adomako, Jennifer Awuah Owusua, Prince Boamah, Anita Asantewaa Appiah-Adjei, Kwaku Afrifa Dwumah, Bismark Appiah Opoku, Michael Baafuor Awuah & Victor Agyei (2019) Developing a Spatial Database of Bat-bushmeat Hunting and Trade to Enhance Conservation Planning and Disease Surveillance in Southern Ghana. Students Conference on Conservation Science, American Musuem of Natural History, New York, United States

Jennifer Awuah Owusua, Prince Boamah, Anita Asantewaa Appiah-Adjei, Kwaku Afrifa Dwumah, Bismark Appiah Opoku, Michael Baafuor Awuah & Victor Agyei (2019) Developing a Spatial Database of Bat-bushmeat Hunting and Trade to Enhance Conservation Planning and Disease Surveillance in Southern Ghana. Submitted to the Rufford Foundation

Ohene Boakye Adomako, Kwaku Afrifa Dwumah, Anita Asantewaa Appiah-Adjei & Victor Agyei (2019) Empowering Indigenous People to Protect the Two Endangered Hinge-backed Tortoises (Kinixys homeana and K. erosa) in South-western Ghana. Submitted to the Rufford Foundation

David Amaning Kwarteng, Ransford Kofi Agyei, Henry Ofori, Victor Agyei (2019) Conservation of Hippopotamus amphibious in Bui National Park, Ghana; Participatory Stakeholder Approach. Submitted to the Rufford Foundation

Ohene Boakye Adomako, Kwaku Afrifa Dwumah, Anita Asantewaa Appiah-Adjei & Victor Agyei (2018) Investigating Conservation Incentives for local communities to conserve forest tortoises in Ghana. Submitted to the Rufford Foundation

OTHER INTEREST
  • Nature Photography
  • Amateur Drone Pilot
  • Amateur Land Surveyor
  • Conservation Scientist
  • Rural Community Development
  • Climate Change Advocate