In Ghana, the Global Forest Watch report estimates that the total primary forest has decreased by 13% from 2002 to 2023, the biggest increase in forest loss of any country in recent years. The decline of forests is primarily driven by mismanagement of nature resources such as logging, expansion of agriculture land, wood extraction, and mining.
Forest destruction has led to biodiversity loss, soil erosion and degradation, and water cycle disruption, resulting in social and economic impact on local communities dependent on forests for livelihoods. To restore and conserve forests to tackle growing climate and livelihood challenges, it is important that policymakers and communities adopt collaborative efforts and leverage emerging technologies.
Commonwealth Alumnus Dr Enoch Gyamfi-Ampadu is a trained forester and lecturer at the Department of Forest Resources Technology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Enoch teaches courses in remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS), land reclamation, forest management, and environmental interpretation and mapping. Enoch works with students, local communities, and key stakeholders to advocate for biodiversity and natural resource conservation across Ghana.
Enhancing forest management skills through distance learning
Prior to his role at KNUST, Enoch worked at Friends of the Earth (FoE) – Ghana one of the world’s largest grassroots environmental networks promoting conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. In 2013, while at FoE-Ghana, Enoch pursued a Master’s in Tropical Forestry from Bangor University through a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship.
Pursuing a course through distance learning enabled Enoch to continue in his job whilst gaining valuable skills and knowledge directly relevant to his work and which he could apply in real time.
Through his modules, he learnt that forest management had moved beyond managing trees to now managing people, highlighting the need to engage with different stakeholders involved in forest management.
Enoch also found the course to be extremely useful in developing networking skills. As part of his programme, he met with fellow students from various countries, widening his knowledge of best practice in forest management and conservation locally and globally. Through group projects and virtual engagements, he also gained skills in negotiation and problem solving, which were useful while working at FoE-Ghana.
“My work [at FoE- Ghana] involved different actors in forest management, such as communities, media and government agencies. Understanding how to manage these people in multi-stakeholder engagements from the knowledge I gained from my Master’s was worthwhile.”
Enoch was soon promoted from a Project Facilitator to a Project Coordinator, leading teams of facilitators to deliver community forums on forest governance issues, forest monitoring and conservation efforts.
In 2014, Enoch led a pilot project on leveraging mobile technology to detect, record and report illegal forest operations. To manage this, he implemented a National Forest Forum, which brought together multiple natural resources stakeholders across Ghana to discuss the mobile application and its strategies to improve the country’s forest governance. Through this project, the participating communities felt recognised and empowered to contribute to forest conservation through monitoring, leading to a decline in apathy levels. Hence, it enhanced their collaboration with the forest managers, and illegal activities were reported once observed for necessary actions to be taken to address them.
Training future researchers and conservationists
Enoch now trains students to use emerging technologies, such as Remote Sensing and GIS technology (Satellite and drones), to conduct biodiversity analysis, mapping and visual distribution modelling. As a Lecturer, Enoch is passionate about involving his students in his research projects, helping them gain practical skills and apply theory to real-world conservation challenges.
The data gathered through these group projects enables Enoch to monitor and advise on forest conservation in Ghana, including mapping forest land, endemic trees, and biodiversity monitoring.
Between February 2023 and May 2024, Enoch led a research project to conduct spectral analysis, a technique using field spectroscopy, satellite and drone imagery to profile and identify Talbotiella gentii (T.gentii) in Eastern Region of Ghana. T.gentii is a species of evergreen tree facing immediate extinction. Threats include climate change, logging, charcoal production, and wildfires. It is currently on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as Critically Endangered (CR) tree species in Ghana.
This project was supported by research grants from The World Academy of Science (UNESCO/TWAS)and the British Ecological Society, as part of advancing biodiversity conservation efforts in Ghana.
Enoch and his team used drone technology to map the existing stands and spatial distribution of the T.gentii in Eastern Ghana. Using the remote sensing mapping technology data gathered, the team produced high-resolution orthomosaicked (a process where multiple overlapping photos are stitched together) images to identify hotspots of T.gentii and support effective conservation measures.
“We want to be able to use a drone to identify the individual tree species of that Talbotiella gentii. If you’re able to locate them in areas where they are sparse, there can be enrichment planting or assisted regeneration to restore those areas. We can plant some more T. gentii so that its abundance can be increased. It is all geared towards conservation.”
Engaging the community in conservation efforts
Enoch draws on his practical experiences of community and stakeholder engagement at FoE-Ghana in his teaching. He encourages his students to think beyond classroom learning and get field experience in biodiversity conservation and community engagement.
Enoch stresses the importance of recognising communities’ knowledge of best practice in conservation and the restoration of biodiversity. As part of his research projects, Enoch has done advocated for community engagement in conservation efforts, involving over 150 communities across Ghana to enhance their participation in forest governance and conservation.
“Because they [community] are not involved in forest management, there’s a level of apathy on their part when it comes to forest destruction. And so, even when they see external people coming in to steal trees or mine illegally, because they are not involved, they don’t see the need for them to go and maybe confront the people or question their illegal activities.”
Enoch believes that building communities’ capacity will encourage them to be more involved in sharing their local knowledge, as well as increasing participation in conservation. Through his research projects, Enoch raises community awareness on conservation and engages them through capacity building activities.
One such project was a land cover change assessment using Remote Sensing and GIS in the Bosomtwe Range Forest Reserve, supported by the Rufford Foundation, UK small grant. Leveraging this technology, the research aimed to analyse how challenges such as mining, illegal logging and illegal farming have contributed to changes in the forests over the last 30 years.
Alongside his student researchers, Enoch involved community members in the project. Using their data findings, Enoch’s team worked with local communities to plant 5,000 trees across 24 communities fringing the Lake Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to reclaim and repopulate the forest land as well secure the banks of the lake.
“Every project that I am involved in, there’s always a community component. Apart from the hardcore research that is being done, there’s also a community engagement component. Because you cannot just do the science without ensuring that there is a pathway for which society is involved.”
Leading by example
Enoch credits the role of his Master’s degree in paving his career path and enhancing his research and scientific writing skills. These were fundamental to him whilst completing his PhD and securing a lecturer position at KNUST.
Whilst on Scholarship, he learnt the importance of knowledge sharing, which he applies in his work with local communities and his students. He reiterates that sharing knowledge will help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“If I had not done the Master’s programme, I couldn’t have done a PhD. And so, with the opportunity given to me and where it has brought me now, I share this with my students and try to involve them in the work that I do.”
Dr Enoch Gyamfi-Ampadu is a 2013 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholar from Ghana. He completed an MSc in Tropical Forestry at Bangor University.
