Francis Gbogbo (BSc (Ghana) MSc (Strathclyde)PhD (KNUST))

Research interest 
Prof. Francis Gbogbo has been at the University of Ghana since 2002, lecturing and conducting research. His research interests are broad and multidisciplinary. They include wetland ecology and conservation, environmental toxicology and food safety, and species response to land use and climate change.
His research into environmental toxicology and food safety has focused on trace metals in Ghana’s coastal wetland resources and bioremediation.  The foraging ecology and management of migratory and resident water birds including human disturbance and competitions have also been the focus of his research. Prof. Gbogbo has also studied the response and persistence of avian species to land use and climate change. Species such as the Hooded Vulture and Pied Crows have been the centre of this research. He has currently started a project on microplastic pollution and its environmental impact in coastal Ghana.   https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Francis_Gbogbo

Current research/project(s)
Microplastic and Heavy metal pollution on coastal wetlands
Microplastics and heavy metals are ingested by a wide range of aquatic organisms. Microplastics cause blockage, cellular necrosis, inflammation and lacerations in the gastrointestinal tracts. Heavy metals are non-biodegradable and accumulate in the environment. Overtime they become toxic to organisms and other consumers. Coastal wetlands and their environmental resources are particularly predisposed to microplastic and heavy metal pollution because the drainage and sewage from many cities on the coasts end up on the wetlands. Prof. Francis Gbogbo is interested in examining the distribution, abundance and the fate of microplastics and heavy metals. He is also interested in degradation of microplastic and bioremediation of heavy metals in coastal wetlands in Ghana.

Past research projects
a) Species response to land use change:  2002 - Date
b) Factors affecting waterbird populations in coastal wetlands in Ghana 2005 - date
c) Understanding the response of cosmopolitan species to climate change: 2010 -2016
d) Ecology of sanderlings (Calidris alba) at Esiama Beach, Western Region, Ghana 2002 -2005
e) Control of household and agricultural rodent pests 2003-2007

Awards
• Visiting Research Scholarship – Indiana University, 2010
• International Foundation for Science (IFS) Research Grant, 2007
• Department for International Development Shared Scholarship, 2000

Recent publications
1. Gbogbo, F., Takyi, J. B., Billah., M.K. and Ewool., J. (2020). Analysis of microplastics in wetland samples from coastal Ghana using the Rose Bengal stain. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (2020) 192:208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8175-8
2. Gbogbo, F., Rainhill, J. E., Koranteng, S.S., Owusu, E. H. Dorleku, W-P. (2020). Health Risk Assessment for Human Exposure to Trace Metals Via Bushmeat in Ghana. Biological Trace Element Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-019-01953-7
3. Nwaefuna, E. K., Bagshaw, I. I., Gbogbo, F. and Osae, M. (2019).  Oviposition and Development of Anopheles coluzzii Coetzee and Wilkerson in Saltwater. Malaria Research and Treatment Volume 2019, Article ID 9523962, https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9523962
4. Gbogbo, F. and Daniels, J.K. (2019). Trade in wildlife for traditional medicine in Ghana: therapeutic values, zoonoses considerations, and implications for biodiversity conservation. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2019.1605637
5. Aikins,T. K., Gbogbo, F. and Owusu, E.H. (2018). Seasonal variation in species richness and abundance of waterbirds in Mole National Park, Ghana; implication for conservation and Ecotourism. Koedoe 60(1), a1466. https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v60i1.1466
6. Aikins,T. K., Gbogbo, F. and Owusu, E.H. (2018). An evaluation of the level of human disturbance to waterbirds at Mole National Park in Ghana. Wetland Ecology and management. 26 (4): 703-713 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-018-9602-2
7. Gbogbo, F., Arthur-Yartel, A., Bondzie, J.A., Dorleku, W., Dadzie, S., Kwansa-Bentum, B., Ewool, J., Billah, M.K. and Lamptey, A.M. (2018). Risk of heavy metal ingestion from the consumption of two commercially valuable species of fish from the fresh and coastal waters of Ghana. PLoS ONE 13(3): e0194682. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194682
8. Holbech, L.H, Gbogbo, F., Aikins,T. K., (2018). Abundance and prey capture success of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) and Pied Kingfishers (Ceryle rudis) in relation to water clarity in south‑east coastal Ghana. Avian Research 9 (1):25 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-018-0116-7
9. Ofori, B.Y., Garshong, R.A., Gbogbo, F., Owusu, E.H. and Attuquayefio, D.K. (2018). Urban green area provides refuge for native small mammal biodiversity in a rapidly expanding city in Ghana. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 190:480 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6858-1