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Prof. Edward Debrah Wiafe

PhD, MSc, PgDE

Ag. Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Google Scholar Account:

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=wiafe+edward&oq=Wiafe+E.D

Brief Profile:

Research Areas/ Interests:

Publications and Conferences:

Currently, Prof. Edward Wiafe Debrah serves as the University of Environment and Sustainable Development’s acting Pro Vice-Chancellor. He previously served as the Ag. Dean at the UESD School of Natural and Environmental Sciences.
About three decades of experience in the management, conservation, and ecology of forests and wildlife have been accumulated by Prof. Wiafe Debrah. His knowledge of the protection and management of natural resources includes the development of management plans, the sustainable use of resources, extension and nursery/zoo management, wildfire management, and the inventory of forest and wildlife resources, and monitoring of wildlife protection. In addition, he is an authority on environmental impact assessment, ecology, and management of wildlife.
Prof. Wiafe has been teaching at university since 2010 and has experience in a variety of natural resource management and conservation courses. To his credit are more than fifty (50) research articles in the fields of biodiversity preservation and natural resources. Along with conducting research, the environmentalist has provided environmental consulting services to select businesses in the health, mining, forestry, and energy sectors.
Prof. Wiafe has made a contribution as a red list assessor of threatened species. He was one of the researchers who recently introduced the scientific community to a new species of hyrax (Dendrohyrax interfluviaris). He is passionate about preventing extinction of species, lessening conflicts between people and wildlife, and preserving the environment of the mountains. From 2014 to 2019, Prof. Wiafe served as Ghana’s representative on the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) Council and is still an Office holder. He is also a member of the International Primatological Society (IPS), the Africa Primatological Society (APS), the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF), the Society for Conservation Biology, and a board chair of the International Centre for Sustainable Environmental Promotion as well as a member of Species Specialist Group of African Primates and Protected Areas for the IUCN. He serves on the boards of Breast Care International and West African Primates Conservation Action (WAPCA). He has participated in and presented at numerous conferences. His interests include bird watching and visiting ‘wild’ locations.
Prof. Wiafe is a graduate of the University of Cape Coast in Ghana with a Ph.D. in Zoology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education and an MSc. in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Freiburg, Germany. He also holds a Diploma in Natural Resources Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, and a Certificate in Forest Management from the School of Forestry in Sunyani, Ghana.

1. Human wildlife conflict
2. Primates conservation
3. Bush meat hunting and wildlife conservation
4. Forest dynamics and logging

1. Boakye M.K, Wiafe E.D. & Ziekah, M. Y. (2019) Ethno-medicinal use of vultures by traditional medicinal practitioners in Ghana, Ostrich, 90,2, 111-118.  http://doi:10.2989/00306525.2019.1578834

2. Wiafe E. D. (2019). Primates crop raiding situation on farmlands adjacent to South-West   of Mole National Park, Ghana. Ghana Journal of Agric. Sci. 54 (2), 58 – 67. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/gjas.v54i2.6.

3. Djego-Djossou S. Wiafe E.D., Hakizamana D., Mensah G. A. & Sinsin B. A. (2019). Comparison of feeding ecology and dietary between olive colobus monkey (Procolobus verus) groups in forest fragments and   continuous forest, Benin. J. Rech. Sci. Univ. Lomé (Togo), Special,             21(1), 49-58.

4. Wiafe E. D. (2019). Encounter rates and group sizes of diurnal primate species of Mole National Park, Ghana. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(5), 13523-13530.

5. Wiafe, E., Oates, J.F., Gonedelé Bi, S., Koné, I., Matsuda Goodwin, R. & Osei, D. (2019). Cercopithecus   lowei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T136931A92373680. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T136931A92373680.en.

6. Koné, I., Oates, J.F., Dempsey, A., Gonedelé Bi, S., McGraw, S. & Wiafe, E. D. (2019). Cercopithecus   roloway. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T4232A92384429.      http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T4232A92384429.en.

7. Oates, J.F., Gonedelé Bi, S., Ikemeh, R., Koné, I., McGraw, S., Nobimè, G., Osei, D. & Wiafe, E. (2019). Procolobus verus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019:  e.T18245A17956786.     http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T18245A17956786.en.

8. Wiafe E. D. (2018). Hunted species and hunting equipment used by rainforest poachers in Ghana.  Journal of Threatened taxa 10 (2), 11271-11284.

9. Fiasorgbor D., Wiafe E.D, Tettey C and Abasiyam M. (2018). Assessment of the coping    strategies of flood victims in the Builsa District. Environment and Sustainability, 2 (1), 17-25.

10. Matsuda G.R., Nobimé G. & Wiafe E. D. (2018). White-Thighed Colobus (Colobus vellerosus) [I. Geoffroy Saint-  Hilaire, 1834] Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, possibly Nigeria. In: In: C.    Schwitzer, R.A. Mittermeier, A.B. Rylands, F. Chiozza,   E.A. Williamson, E.J. Macfie, J.Wallis and A. Cotton (eds.), Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates 2016–2018, pp. 18-21. IUCN SSC    Primate Specialist Group (PSG), International Primatological Society (IPS),    Conservation International (CI), and Bristol Zoological Society, Arlington, VA.

11. Wiafe E.D. (ed). (2017). Adaptive management: Elements, Applications and Research. New York. Nova    Science Publishers.

Employment Records

Associations/Affiliations

Grants/Funds won with Dates

Period Employing organization Rank Position/Summary of activities performed
1. 2022-date University of Environment and Sustainable Development Associate Professor Ag. Pro Vice-Chancellor, Deputizing the V-C. Progress of Academic programs, Institutional collaboration;
2. 2020-2022 University of Environment and Sustainable Development Associate Professor Dean, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Teaching, Research, community service, development of programmes, supervision of students research
3. 2020-2020 Presbyterian University College, Ghana Associate Professor Teaching, Research, community service, development of programmes, supervision of students research
4. 2014-2020 Presbyterian University College, Ghana Senior Lecturer Teaching, Research, community service, development of programmes, supervision of students research
5. 2010-2014 Presbyterian University College, Ghana Lecturer Teaching, Research, community service, development of programmes, supervision of students research
6. 2004-2010 Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission Senior Wildlife Protection Officer/Law enforcement Law enforcement officer in charge of Kakum National Park, Ghana,
7. 1995-2000 Forest Services Division of Forestry Commission Range Supervisor Management of forests reserves and trees outside forest reserves; extension

(1) Active member: International Primatological Society
(2) Active Member: Society for Conservation Biology
(3) Office Holder: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
(4) Member of Steering Committee: African Primatological Society
(5) Board member, West African Primates Conservation Action (WAPCA).
(6) Member: International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF),
(7) Member: Society for Conservation Biology
(8) Board chair of the International Centre for Sustainable Environmental Promotion
(9) Member: Species Specialist Group of African Primates (IUCN)
(10) Member: Specialist Group Protected Areas Management (IUCN)

2017-2019 Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund US$ 44,296.00 Promoting conservation of endangered primates in three forest reserves in Ghana

ACHIEVEMENTS

Currently, Prof. Edward Wiafe Debrah serves as the acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development. He has previously served as the Ag. Dean at the University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences (www.uesd.edu.gh).

Prof. Wiafe has decades of experience in managing and teaching various natural resource management and conservation programmes, projects and courses. These include protection and conservation of endangered and neglected species, sustainable use of resources, extension education, wildfire management, inventory of forest and wildlife resources, and monitoring of wildlife population. In addition, he is an acclaimed authority on environmental impact assessment.

He has to his credit more than fifty (50) research articles in the field of biodiversity preservation. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=wiafe+edward&oq=)

In 2014, he contributed to the introduction of a low-tech method to reduce human-elephant conflict in Ghana and achieve food security. This method has been adopted by other elephant range countries since then.  (https://pachydermjournal.org) 

In 2017-2018, Edward was supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund to embark on a conservation project to determine the fate of primates in forest reserves in Ghana. This project, which implemented the IUCN Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Chimpanzees in West Africa, targeted three priority Key Biodiversity Areas in Ghana; the Atewa Range, Cape Three Points and Tano-Offin Forest reserves. Edward Wiafe contributed to the long-term survival and conservation of endangered primates in Ghana within the project framework. This was done by carrying out ecological surveys, conservation education and awareness campaigns, bio-monitoring and capacity building of eco-guards. As a result, there was ascertainment of approximate populations and distribution of the five primate species to inform the design of conservation programs and updated information on the four poorly assessed species. A total of 1850 young people (1050 young women and 800 young men)   benefitted from conservation education (https://www.cepf.net/grants/grantee-projects/promoting-endangered-primate-conservation-three-forest-reserves-ghana ). Some of the activities can be found on and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rujhFZhN8kyRVLSyEng6A

In 2019, Edward Wiafe made a significant contribution as a red list assessor of threatened species to the International Conservation Union (IUCN). He contributed to the assessment of the following primate species: Cercopithecus lowei, Cercopithecus roloway, Procolobus verus, Perodicticus potto (https://www.iucnredlist.org).

 In 2020, Edward collaborated with some of the world’s most renowned conservationists to name and introduce to the scientific community, a new species of tree hyrax known as Dendrohyrax interfluviaris. This drew the attention of conservation biologists to save an endemic species found only between Lake Volta (Ghana) and the Niger (Nigeria) from extinction. (https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70221439 ).

From 2014 to 2019, Edward Wiafe served as Ghana’s representative on the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) Council. He is also a member of the following organizations:

His interests include bird watching and visiting ‘wild’ locations.

Edward is a graduate of the University of Cape Coast in Ghana with a Ph.D. in Zoology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education. He has an MSc. in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Freiburg, Germany. He also holds a Diploma in Natural Resources Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, and a Certificate in Forest Management from the School of Forestry in Sunyani, Ghana.