Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (BSc (Ghana) PhD (Edinburgh))
Research interest
Research interests focus mainly on biodiversity, environmental conservation and development. Specific areas of current focus include wetland and waterbird ecology; role of wild animals in zoonotic disease transmission; climate change impacts on biodiversity and food security; wildlife utilisation, bushmeat and food security.
Current research/project(s)
i) Population trends and distribution of migratory birds;
ii) Assessment of changes in the ecological character of coastal wetlands;
iii) Developing monitoring protocols for the management of protected areas;
iv) Bushmeat utilisation and implications for zoonotic diseases transmission
v) Impact of climate change on diversity and distribution of ticks of wild animals
Past research projects
i) Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa (Role of Bats in zoonotic disease transmission); 2012-2015, ESPA/Zoological Society of London;
ii) Ecology and population dynamics of Sanderling Calidris alba, 2010-2016, various agencies including WOTRO and AEWA;
iii) Bushmeat harvest, trade and consumption in Ghana 2015-2016; various agencies incl. FAO, CIFOR;
iv) Co-producing knowledge on food systems for development in Africa (Africa Climate Change Adaptation Initiative), 2014-2018; Open Society Foundations.
Awards
Women of Excellence Award 2015: awarded in recognition of outstanding contribution to tertiary education and scientific research.
Celebrated by TV Africa “Obaa Mo” 2012 as Ghana’s first female Professor of Zoology.
Distinguished Award for Meritorious Service, 2010: awarded by the University of Ghana for contribution to the academic programme of the University of Ghana, extension work with policy makers and development practitioners, and not the least, and resourcefulness in fund-raising for research.
Member of Honour: conferred by BirdLife International in “recognition of distinguished contribution to the conservation of wild birds and their habitats world-wide” (2000)
Officer of the Order of the Golden Ark, awarded by His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands for “lifelong contribution to wildlife conservation” (1996).
Medal of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK) for contribution to bird conservation in Ghana (1995).
Waddell Prize in Science for Best B.Sc. Student, University of Ghana (l975).
Volta Prize for Best First Year Science Student in Volta Hall (l971).
Recent publications
1. P. J. Stephenson, Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu and John P. Simaika (2020) The use of Traditional and Modern Tools for Monitoring of Wetland Biodiversity in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities. Frontiers in Environmental Science. June2020, Volume 8, Article 61 DOI:10.3389/fenvs. 2020. 00061
2. Jeroen Reneerkens, Tom S. L. Versluijs, Theunis Piersma, José A. Alves, Mark Boorman, Colin Corse, Olivier Gilg, Gunnar Thor Hallgrimsson, Johannes Lang, Bob Loos, Yaa Ntiamoa‐Baidu, Alfred A. Nuoh, Peter M. Potts, Job ten Horn, Tamar Lok (2019). Low fitness at low latitudes: Wintering in the tropics increases migratory delays and mortality rates in an Arctic breeding shorebird. Journal of Animal Ecology, 00:1-13. DOI: 10.111/1365-2656.13118
3. Jesse S. Ayivor, Chris Gordon, Graham A. Tobin & Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (2019): Evaluation of management effectiveness of protected areas in the Volta Basin, Ghana: perspectives on the methodology for evaluation, protected area financing and community participation, Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, DOI: 10.1080/1523908X.2019.1705153
4. James McNamara John E. Fa and Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (2019) Understanding drivers of urban bushmeat demand in a Ghanaian market Biological Conservation 239 doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108291
5. Amponsah‐Mensah K., Cunningham A.A, Wood JLN. & Ntiamoa-Baidu Y. (2019). Seasonal variation in food availability and relative importance of dietary items in the Gambian epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus gambianus) Ecol. Evol. 00:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5150
6. Elaine Tweneboah Lawson, Jesse S. Ayivor, Fidelia Ohemeng and Yaa Ntiamoa‐Baidu (2019). Avoiding bites and scratches? Understanding the public health implication of human–bat interactions in Ghana. Zoonoses Public Health. 66:108–116. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12540
7. Fidelia Ohemeng, Jesse Ayivor, Elaine T. Lawson & Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (2018). Local classifications of fever and treatment sought among populations at risk of zoonotic diseases in Ghana, 2018. PLoS ONE 13(8):e0201526, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201526
8. Jesse S. Ayivor, Fidelia Ohemeng, Elaine Tweneboah Lawson, Linda Waldman, Melissa Leach, and Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (2017). Living with Bats: The Case of Ve Golokuati Township in the Volta Region of Ghana, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, vol. 2017, ID 5938934, doi:10.1155/2017/5938934
9. Richard D. Suu-Ire , Anthony R. Fooks, Ashley C. Banyard , David Selden, Kofi Amponsah-Mensah, Silke Riesle, Meyir Y. Ziekah, Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, James L. N. Wood and Andrew A. Cunningham (2017). Lagos Bat Virus Infection Dynamics in Free-Ranging Straw-Coloured Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum). Trop. Med. Infect. Dis., 2(3), 25; doi:10.3390/tropicalmed2030025
10. Fidelia Ohemeng Elaine T. Lawson, Jesse Ayivor, Melissa Leach, Linda Waldman & Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (2017). Socio-cultural Determinants of Human–Bat Interactions in Rural Ghana Anthrozoös, 30:2, 181-194, DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2017.1310984
11. Elaine Tweneboah Lawson, Fidelia Ohemeng, Jesse Ayivor, Melissa Leach, Linda Waldman, Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (2017). "Understanding framings and perceptions of spillover: Preventing future outbreaks of bat-borne zoonoses", Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 26 Issue: 4, pp.396-411, https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-04-2016-0082
12. Ntiamoa-Baidu, Y., Ampomah, B. Y. and Ofosu, E. A. (eds). (2017). Dams, Development and Downstream Communities: Implications for Re-optimising the Operations of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams in Ghana. Digibooks Gh. Ltd., Tema, Ghana.
13. J. McNamara, M. Rowcliffe, G. Cowlishaw, J.S. Alexander, Y. Ntiamoa-Baidu, A. Brenya and E.J. Milner-Gulland (2016) Characterising Wildlife Trade Market Supply Demand Dynamics PLoS ONE 11(9) e0162972.doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162972
14. James L. N. Wood, Andrew A. Cunningham, Richard D. Suu-Ire, Freya L. Jephcott and Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (2016). Ebola, Bats and Evidence-Based Policy: Informing Ebola Policy EcoHealth 13, 9–11, 2016 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-015-1050-3
15. Kirsten Grond, Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, Theunis Piersma and Jeroen Reneerkens (2015) Prey type and foraging ecology of Sanderlings Calidris alba in different climate zones: Are tropical areas more favourable than temperate sites? Peer J DOI 10.7717/peerj.1125
16. Egyir, I. S., Ofori, K., Antwi G. & Ntiamoa-Baidu Y. (2015). Adaptive Capacity and Coping Strategies in the Face of Climate Change: A Comparative Study of Communities around Two Protected Areas in the Coastal Savanna and Transitional Zones of Ghana. Journal of Sustainable Development; Vol. 8, No. 1, 1-15
Professional membership(s)
Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences;
Ghana Science Association;
International Wader Study Group;
Society for Conservation Biology;
Ecosystem Services Partnership.