Many human problems can be solved by the ecosystem – Prof Peprah 

Professor Kenneth Peprah, a professor of Agricultural Geography and Environmental Studies at the SDD University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), has observed that effective ecosystem-based management has the potential to solve many human problems. 

He emphasised the need for effective ecosystem-based management by avoiding destructive human behaviours that lead to ecosystem degradation.  

He said effective functioning of the ecosystems were essential for human existence as they provided critical human needs, including food, genetic resources and fuel among others as well as regulated the air, water and climate among others, which were necessary for man’s survival. 

Prof. Peprah said this when he delivered the second Professorial Inaugural Lecture of the SDD-UBIDS in Wa on the topic: “Ecosystem Thinking: the Dynamics from Ecosystem Theory to Ecosystem-based Management.”   

Professors at the SDD-UBIDS, families, friends and well-wishers of Prof. Peprah and the university fraternity graced the occasion to celebrate the professorial achievement of Prof. Peprah. 

He defined the ecosystem as “a self-regulation association of living plants, animals, micro-organisms and their physical or material environment in a given area.” 

“Managing human behaviour ensures that the ecosystem via structure, function, and overall environmental quality are not compromised and are maintained at appropriate temporal and spatial scales. 

And this is what I call upon you to do, no matter how small it is, try to see how you’ll be able to recover a degraded ecosystem by acting,” Prof. Peprah explained.  

He explained that effective functioning of the ecosystem generated no waste and encouraged the people to think and act like the ecosystem for efficient management of resources.  

“Receive inputs (resources) and use them efficiently to achieve sustainable outputs; repeat your production and consumption by reducing, reusing and regenerating/recycling the initial inputs.  

In the ecosystem there is no waste. Therefore, see how you can use ecosystem thinking to produce and consume without generating waste,” Prof. Peprah said.  

The professor had, over the years, worked extensively in the field of ecosystem and produced research works on ecosystems, including his Doctorial theses: “Farmer Management of Land Degradation” The Case of Asunafo North Municipal and South District” in 2013. 

Prof. Peprah had also authored the “Agroclimatology of Africa with Special Reference to Ghana” in 2018 and co-edited the “Environment and Resources Management in Ghana” in 2022 with his book on Ecosystem Thinking under review. 

He had also developed a coursework, “Ecosystem Approach ERM 704” for PhD students and the Ecosystem Thinking course for the undergraduate students of the SDD-UBIDS to impart the knowledge of ecosystem thinking into the students.  

Prof. Emmanuel K. Derbile, the Vice Chancellor of SDD-UBIDS, congratulated Prof. Peprah on his achievement, and extolled him for his commitment to the course of the university and achieving academic excellence.  

He described Prof. Peprah as an advocate of ecosystem thinking, “a systems-based approach to managing the complexities of the ecosystem in order to maintain a balance in the system and to ensure sustainability.”  

Prof. Derbile indicated that “Professor Peprah also lived the principles that he has shared with us today” by planting and nurturing trees on the university campus.  

“I used to observe him anytime I went to the centre to work from the office. He will come to the office and go there just to check on the trees,” he stated. 

Prof. Derbile encouraged the people to let their “light shine” anywhere they found themselves so that together they could contribute to the development agenda.  

Source: GNA 

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