Male Forest Elephants at the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon - photo by Samuel
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About me
I am a doctoral researcher at the Global Change and Conservation Lab (GCC) at the University of Helsinki. My work focuses on understanding the role of African elephants in climate change dynamics and Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC). I study how elephants influence vegetation, which in turn affects carbon storage, and aim to determine when their impact might shift from carbon stocking to releasing it. My research also explores whether conservation efforts can align with reducing HEC.
Before this, I completed a master's degree in Conservation Biology with a specialty in Behavioral Ecology and Wildlife Management at the University of Burgundy Europe, France, and a B.Sc. in Renewable Natural Resources from the University for Development Studies in Ghana. My recent work includes an extensive field survey in the Central African rainforest in Gabon, using camera traps, dung DNA analysis, and measurements to characterize the demographics of forest elephants involved in crop raiding. I also worked at Ghana's Mole National Park, conducting mammal surveys using camera traps, participating in anti-poaching patrols, and collaborating with local communities to manage HEC.
With the ongoing biodiversity and climate crisis, where the loss of megaherbivores like elephants; whose activities directly impact climate dynamics; compounds the challenges faced by local communities, it is crucial to understand how these issues intersect. My goal is to ensure that we conserve elephants in a way that maintains their positive role in climate regulation while also fostering coexistence with the communities that live alongside them.
My research
My research centers on the ecological roles of African elephants in shaping carbon dynamics and climate resilience across savanna and forest ecosystems. I examine how their foraging preferences; selecting for plant traits like wood density, fiber content, and nutrient profiles; influence aboveground carbon storage, testing thresholds where habitat disturbance or population density flips elephants from carbon storage enhancers to releasers. Drawing on DNA metabarcoding from fecal samples, vegetation surveys, and remote sensing, I compare savanna and forest species, to reveal species-specific adaptations and their responses to land-use changes.
Also, a key focus of my work is integrating these insights with human-elephant conflict patterns, exploring sex-biased behaviors that drive crop raiding and habitat use. In most Ghanaian reserves, where deforestation exacerbates tensions, I map elephant distributions genetically and demographically to inform targeted mitigation strategies that align conservation with climate goals. My work challenges outdated views of elephants as mere destructors, emphasizing their function as ecosystem engineers that promote high-carbon forests through selective browsing and seed dispersal.
Ultimately, my research aim to bridge biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration, providing data for policies that sustain elephant populations amid poaching and habitat loss. Collaborative fieldwork with local agencies and genetic labs ensures grounded, actionable outcomes.
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