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Alfred Oteng-Yeboah

Bio: Alfred Oteng-Yeboah is an academic researcher from University of Ghana. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biodiversity & Traditional knowledge. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 13 publications receiving 3459 citations. Previous affiliations of Alfred Oteng-Yeboah include Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: New research is needed that considers the full ensemble of processes and feedbacks, for a range of biophysical and social systems, to better understand and manage the dynamics of the relationship between humans and the ecosystems on which they rely.
Abstract: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) introduced a new framework for analyzing social-ecological systems that has had wide influence in the policy and scientific communities. Studies after the MA are taking up new challenges in the basic science needed to assess, project, and manage flows of ecosystem services and effects on human well-being. Yet, our ability to draw general conclusions remains limited by focus on discipline-bound sectors of the full social-ecological system. At the same time, some polices and practices intended to improve ecosystem services and human well-being are based on untested assumptions and sparse information. The people who are affected and those who provide resources are increasingly asking for evidence that interventions improve ecosystem services and human well-being. New research is needed that considers the full ensemble of processes and feedbacks, for a range of biophysical and social systems, to better understand and manage the dynamics of the relationship between humans and the ecosystems on which they rely. Such research will expand the capacity to address fundamental questions about complex social-ecological systems while evaluating assumptions of policies and practices intended to advance human well-being through improved ecosystem services.

1,939 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Sandra Díaz1, Sebsebe Demissew2, Julia Carabias3, Carlos Alfredo Joly4, Mark Lonsdale, Neville Ash5, Anne Larigauderie, Jay Ram Adhikari, Salvatore Arico6, András Báldi, Ann M. Bartuska7, Ivar Andreas Baste, Adem Bilgin, Eduardo S. Brondizio8, Kai M. A. Chan9, Viviana E. Figueroa, Anantha Kumar Duraiappah, Markus Fischer, Rosemary Hill10, Thomas Koetz, Paul Leadley11, Philip O'b. Lyver12, Georgina M. Mace13, Berta Martín-López14, Michiko Okumura5, Diego Pacheco, Unai Pascual15, Edgar Selvin Pérez, Belinda Reyers16, Eva Roth17, Osamu Saito18, Robert J. Scholes19, Nalini Sharma5, Heather Tallis20, Randolph R. Thaman21, Robert T. Watson22, Tetsukazu Yahara23, Zakri Abdul Hamid, Callistus Akosim, Yousef S. Al-Hafedh24, Rashad Allahverdiyev, Edward Amankwah, T. Stanley Asah25, Zemede Asfaw2, Gabor Bartus26, Anathea L. Brooks6, Jorge Caillaux27, Gemedo Dalle, Dedy Darnaedi, Amanda Driver (Sanbi), Gunay Erpul28, Pablo Escobar-Eyzaguirre, Pierre Failler29, Ali Moustafa Mokhtar Fouda, Bojie Fu30, Haripriya Gundimeda31, Shizuka Hashimoto32, Floyd Homer, Sandra Lavorel33, Gabriela Lichtenstein34, William Armand Mala35, Wadzanayi Mandivenyi, Piotr Matczak36, Carmel Mbizvo, Mehrasa Mehrdadi, Jean Paul Metzger37, Jean Bruno Mikissa38, Henrik Moller39, Harold A. Mooney40, Peter J. Mumby41, Harini Nagendra42, Carsten Nesshöver43, Alfred Oteng-Yeboah44, György Pataki45, Marie Roué, Jennifer Rubis6, Maria Schultz46, Peggy Smith47, Rashid Sumaila9, Kazuhiko Takeuchi18, Spencer Thomas, Madhu Verma48, Youn Yeo-Chang49, Diana Zlatanova50 
National University of Cordoba1, Addis Ababa University2, National Autonomous University of Mexico3, State University of Campinas4, United Nations Environment Programme5, UNESCO6, United States Department of Agriculture7, Indiana University8, University of British Columbia9, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation10, University of Paris-Sud11, Landcare Research12, University College London13, Autonomous University of Madrid14, University of Cambridge15, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research16, University of Southern Denmark17, United Nations University18, Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment19, The Nature Conservancy20, University of the South Pacific21, University of East Anglia22, Kyushu University23, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology24, University of Washington25, Budapest University of Technology and Economics26, Environmental Law Institute27, Ankara University28, University of Portsmouth29, Chinese Academy of Sciences30, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay31, Kyoto University32, Joseph Fourier University33, National Scientific and Technical Research Council34, University of Yaoundé35, Polish Academy of Sciences36, University of São Paulo37, École Normale Supérieure38, University of Otago39, Stanford University40, University of Queensland41, Azim Premji University42, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ43, University of Ghana44, Corvinus University of Budapest45, Stockholm University46, Lakehead University47, Indian Institute of Forest Management48, Seoul National University49, Sofia University50
TL;DR: The first public product of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is its Conceptual Framework as discussed by the authors, which will underpin all IPBES functions and provide structure and comparability to the syntheses that will produce at different spatial scales, on different themes, and in different regions.

1,585 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An ethnobotanical study was conducted in the Wechiau Community Hippopotamus Sanctuary area in Ghana, to investigate the range and abundance of species used in the treatment of malaria, and recommendations made to support the conservation and sustainable harvesting of the species reported to have medicinal properties.

271 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
20 Jul 2006-Nature
TL;DR: Ecologists present the case for IMoSEB, the International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity, and consider a paradox: theory predicts that complex networks will be fragile, yet complexity evolves and persists.
Abstract: For policymakers, biodiversity can present more complex challenges than climate change, argue Michel Loreau, Alfred Oteng-Yeboah and their co-authors. So why isn't there an international panel of experts for biodiversity?

127 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The antimicrobial activity of the sequential n‐hexane, acetone and 50% aqueous methanol extracts of leaves, stem bark and roots of four species of medicinal plants, Cassia sieberiana DC, from Ghana, reveal the presence of flavonoids, stilbenes and alkaloids.
Abstract: The antimicrobial activity of the sequential n-hexane, acetone and 50% aqueous methanol extracts of leaves, stem bark and roots of four species of medicinal plants, Cassia sieberiana DC. (Leguminosae), Haematostaphis barteri Hook. f. (Anacardiaceae), Mitragyna inermis (Willd.) O. Kuntze (Rubiaceae) and Pseudocedrela kotschyi (Schweinf.) Harms (Meliaceae), from Ghana were tested against Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas syringae and Cladosporium herbarum using TLC direct-autobiographic methods. Extracts from leaves, stem bark and roots of the four species gave a positive result against at least one test organism. Twelve of the 36 extracts were active against B. subtilis, four extracts were active against P. syringae and six were active against C. herbarum. Preliminary chemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids, stilbenes and alkaloids. This is the first report of a stilbene from the Anacardiaceae.

66 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that in order to reliably predict the effects of GEC on community and ecosystem processes, the greatest single challenge will be to determine how biotic and abiotic context alters the direction and magnitude of G EC effects on biotic interactions.
Abstract: The main drivers of global environmental change (CO2 enrichment, nitrogen deposition, climate, biotic invasions and land use) cause extinctions and alter species distributions, and recent evidence shows that they exert pervasive impacts on various antagonistic and mutualistic interactions among species. In this review, we synthesize data from 688 published studies to show that these drivers often alter competitive interactions among plants and animals, exert multitrophic effects on the decomposer food web, increase intensity of pathogen infection, weaken mutualisms involving plants, and enhance herbivory while having variable effects on predation. A recurrent finding is that there is substantial variability among studies in both the magnitude and direction of effects of any given GEC driver on any given type of biotic interaction. Further, we show that higher order effects among multiple drivers acting simultaneously create challenges in predicting future responses to global environmental change, and that extrapolating these complex impacts across entire networks of species interactions yields unanticipated effects on ecosystems. Finally, we conclude that in order to reliably predict the effects of GEC on community and ecosystem processes, the greatest single challenge will be to determine how biotic and abiotic context alters the direction and magnitude of GEC effects on biotic interactions.

2,070 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A typology of relationships between ecosystem services based on the role of drivers and the interactions between services is proposed to help drive ecological science towards a better understanding of the relationships among multiple ecosystem services.
Abstract: Ecosystem management that attempts to maximize the production of one ecosystem service often results in substantial declines in the provision of other ecosystem services. For this reason, recent studies have called for increased attention to development of a theoretical understanding behind the relationships among ecosystem services. Here, we review the literature on ecosystem services and propose a typology of relationships between ecosystem services based on the role of drivers and the interactions between services. We use this typology to develop three propositions to help drive ecological science towards a better understanding of the relationships among multiple ecosystem services. Research which aims to understand the relationships among multiple ecosystem services and the mechanisms behind these relationships will improve our ability to sustainably manage landscapes to provide multiple ecosystem services.

1,836 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
10 Dec 2010-Science
TL;DR: Scenarios consistently indicate that biodiversity will continue to decline over the 21st century, however, the range of projected changes is much broader than most studies suggest, partly because there are major opportunities to intervene through better policies, but also because of large uncertainties in projections.
Abstract: Quantitative scenarios are coming of age as a tool for evaluating the impact of future socioeconomic development pathways on biodiversity and ecosystem services. We analyze global terrestrial, freshwater, and marine biodiversity scenarios using a range of measures including extinctions, changes in species abundance, habitat loss, and distribution shifts, as well as comparing model projections to observations. Scenarios consistently indicate that biodiversity will continue to decline over the 21st century. However, the range of projected changes is much broader than most studies suggest, partly because there are major opportunities to intervene through better policies, but also because of large uncertainties in projections.

1,725 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Sandra Díaz1, Sebsebe Demissew2, Julia Carabias3, Carlos Alfredo Joly4, Mark Lonsdale, Neville Ash5, Anne Larigauderie, Jay Ram Adhikari, Salvatore Arico6, András Báldi, Ann M. Bartuska7, Ivar Andreas Baste, Adem Bilgin, Eduardo S. Brondizio8, Kai M. A. Chan9, Viviana E. Figueroa, Anantha Kumar Duraiappah, Markus Fischer, Rosemary Hill10, Thomas Koetz, Paul Leadley11, Philip O'b. Lyver12, Georgina M. Mace13, Berta Martín-López14, Michiko Okumura5, Diego Pacheco, Unai Pascual15, Edgar Selvin Pérez, Belinda Reyers16, Eva Roth17, Osamu Saito18, Robert J. Scholes19, Nalini Sharma5, Heather Tallis20, Randolph R. Thaman21, Robert T. Watson22, Tetsukazu Yahara23, Zakri Abdul Hamid, Callistus Akosim, Yousef S. Al-Hafedh24, Rashad Allahverdiyev, Edward Amankwah, T. Stanley Asah25, Zemede Asfaw2, Gabor Bartus26, Anathea L. Brooks6, Jorge Caillaux27, Gemedo Dalle, Dedy Darnaedi, Amanda Driver (Sanbi), Gunay Erpul28, Pablo Escobar-Eyzaguirre, Pierre Failler29, Ali Moustafa Mokhtar Fouda, Bojie Fu30, Haripriya Gundimeda31, Shizuka Hashimoto32, Floyd Homer, Sandra Lavorel33, Gabriela Lichtenstein34, William Armand Mala35, Wadzanayi Mandivenyi, Piotr Matczak36, Carmel Mbizvo, Mehrasa Mehrdadi, Jean Paul Metzger37, Jean Bruno Mikissa38, Henrik Moller39, Harold A. Mooney40, Peter J. Mumby41, Harini Nagendra42, Carsten Nesshöver43, Alfred Oteng-Yeboah44, György Pataki45, Marie Roué, Jennifer Rubis6, Maria Schultz46, Peggy Smith47, Rashid Sumaila9, Kazuhiko Takeuchi18, Spencer Thomas, Madhu Verma48, Youn Yeo-Chang49, Diana Zlatanova50 
National University of Cordoba1, Addis Ababa University2, National Autonomous University of Mexico3, State University of Campinas4, United Nations Environment Programme5, UNESCO6, United States Department of Agriculture7, Indiana University8, University of British Columbia9, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation10, University of Paris-Sud11, Landcare Research12, University College London13, Autonomous University of Madrid14, University of Cambridge15, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research16, University of Southern Denmark17, United Nations University18, Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment19, The Nature Conservancy20, University of the South Pacific21, University of East Anglia22, Kyushu University23, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology24, University of Washington25, Budapest University of Technology and Economics26, Environmental Law Institute27, Ankara University28, University of Portsmouth29, Chinese Academy of Sciences30, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay31, Kyoto University32, Joseph Fourier University33, National Scientific and Technical Research Council34, University of Yaoundé35, Polish Academy of Sciences36, University of São Paulo37, École Normale Supérieure38, University of Otago39, Stanford University40, University of Queensland41, Azim Premji University42, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ43, University of Ghana44, Corvinus University of Budapest45, Stockholm University46, Lakehead University47, Indian Institute of Forest Management48, Seoul National University49, Sofia University50
TL;DR: The first public product of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is its Conceptual Framework as discussed by the authors, which will underpin all IPBES functions and provide structure and comparability to the syntheses that will produce at different spatial scales, on different themes, and in different regions.

1,585 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A framework for analyzing the provision of multiple ecosystem services across landscapes is developed and an empirical demonstration of ecosystem service bundles, sets of services that appear together repeatedly, are presented.
Abstract: A key challenge of ecosystem management is determining how to manage multiple ecosystem services across landscapes. Enhancing important provisioning ecosystem services, such as food and timber, often leads to tradeoffs between regulating and cultural ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, flood protection, and tourism. We developed a framework for analyzing the provision of multiple ecosystem services across landscapes and present an empirical demonstration of ecosystem service bundles, sets of services that appear together repeatedly. Ecosystem service bundles were identified by analyzing the spatial patterns of 12 ecosystem services in a mixed-use landscape consisting of 137 municipalities in Quebec, Canada. We identified six types of ecosystem service bundles and were able to link these bundles to areas on the landscape characterized by distinct social–ecological dynamics. Our results show landscape-scale tradeoffs between provisioning and almost all regulating and cultural ecosystem services, and they show that a greater diversity of ecosystem services is positively correlated with the provision of regulating ecosystem services. Ecosystem service-bundle analysis can identify areas on a landscape where ecosystem management has produced exceptionally desirable or undesirable sets of ecosystem services.

1,550 citations