Stephen is a human ecologist and the co-founder and deputy director of Hen Mpoano (Our Coast), a local non-profit organization in Ghana that specializes in coastal and marine ecosystem governance. He is also a PhD student at the Institute for Geosciences and Geography, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, where his research focuses on mapping, assessing and modelling land use impacts on ecosystem services in the coastal landscapes of Southwestern Ghana. Stephen’s work has led to the creation of small-scale fisheries co-management associations and community-based institutions for long-term conservation of more than 50,000 hectares of peat swamp, mangrove forests, estuaries and lagoons in southwest Ghana. More recently, his work has demonstrated the benefits of applying integrated and multi-sectoral approaches to achieve positive health, environment and development outcomes in rural fishing and coastal communities in Ghana. In 2011, Stephen received an award from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO in recognition of his contribution to long-term adaptation to climate change in the ocean and coastal zones of Africa.
Hen Mpoano’s website: www.henmpoano.org.
