Department of Conservation Biology


PhD project
Governance, Biodiversity and Community-Based Conservation Initiatives in Nigeria’s Niger River Delta


Running projects

  • Habitat restoration, sustainable conservation for Niger Delta red colobus monkey. Within this conservation effort, we have facilitated the creation of 3 community-based conservation organization, and we are updating biodiversity information/status of the Apoi Creek Forests and exploring the ecological restoration of the Central Niger Delta Marsh Forests in Nigeria. Another research objective is to determine the global population of the endemic Niger Delta red colobus monkey.
  • Expanding community-based conservation areas in Nigeria’s Niger River Delta. Within this project, we have established long-term biodiversity research programme in coastal communities and marine habitats in SILGA Bayelsa State, Nigeria with the aim of facilitating the establishment of Locally Managed Marine Area. One research objective is to examine the climate resilience of the socio-ecological land/seascape.
  • Securing the last stronghold for chimpanzees in western Nigeria. Within this conservation project where I helped establish and now manage the Ise Forest Conservation Area in a co-management agreement with the Ekiti State government, we are conducting population-genomic study of chimpanzees in southwestern Nigeria to provide empirical evidence that they represent a distinct subspecies from those currently recognized).
  • Crafting evidence-based social-marketing campaigns that shift current social norms towards public participation and conservation stewardship.



Curriculum Vitae

Since 2025 PhD Student
Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen

2017 – 2020 Master of Science Conservation Project Management
Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingom

2012 – Present Project Director
SW/Niger Delta Forest Project Nigeria

2007 – 2009 Project Officer
Omo-Shasha-Oluwa Forest Conservation Initiative, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Nigeria

2006 – 2007 Conservation Education & Ecosystem Monitoring Officer
Ogba Zoological Garden and Nature Park, Benin City, Nigeria

2005 Internship, Technical Programs Department, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Nigeria

1999 – 2002 Bachelor of Arts, Public Administration
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria


Publications

Wessling, E., Samuni, L., Koops, K., Humle, T., Hockings, K. Soiret, S.Scholfield, K., Pintea, L., Luncz, L., Lanjouw, A., Kamgang, S., Kalan, A., Ikemeh, R., Hobaiter, C., Fourrier, M., Freymann, E., Arandjelovic, M., Almeida-Warren, K., Abwe, E., & Sanz, C. (2025). Pathways from theory to practice: Applying animal cultures to conservation. OSF preprints. 10.31219/osf.io/gpszb_v2.

Wessling, E., Whiten, A., Soiret, S., Scholfield, K., Samuni, L., Rutz, C., Redmond, I., Pintea, L., Lanjouw, A., Koops, K., Kamgang, S., Kalan, A., Ikemeh, R., Humle, T., Hobaiter, C., Frisch-Nwakanma, H., Freymann, E., Doumbe, O., Brakes, P. & Sanz, C. (2025). Concerted conservation actions to support chimpanzee cultures. Philosophical Transactions Royal Society B 380: 20240143. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0143

Oklander, L., Ang., A, Ikemeh R.A. (2024). Advancing conservation of threatened primates. Oryx 58:137-138. doi:10.1017/S0030605324000371

Carvalho, S., Wessling, E., Abwe, E., Almeida-Warren, K., Arandjelovic, M., Boesch, C., Danquah, E., Diallo, M., Hobaiter, C., Hockings, K., Humle, T., Ikemeh, R., Kalan, A., Luncz, L., Ohashi, G., Pascual-Garrido, A., Piel, A., Samuni, L., Soiret, S., & Koops, K. (2022). Using nonhuman culture in conservation requires careful and concerted action. Conservation Letters 15:e12860. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12860

Oates J.F., Woodman N., Gaubert P., Sargis E.J., Wiafe E.D., Lecompte E., Dowsett-Lemaire F., Dowsett R.J, Gonedele S., Ikemeh R.A., Djagoun Chabi, Tomsett L., & Bearder S.K. (2021). A new species of tree hyrax (Procaviidae: Dendrohyrax) from West Africa and the significance of the Niger–Volta interfluvium in mammalian biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194: 527–552. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab029

Linder, J., Cronin, D., Ting, N., Abwe, E., Aghomo, F., Davenport, T., Detwiler, K., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Hart, J., Ikemeh, R. Kivai, S., Koné, I., Konstant, W., Kujirakwinja, D., Long, B., Maisels, F., Mcgraw, W. Mittermeier, R., & Struhsaker, T. (2024). To conserve African tropical forests, invest in the protection of its most endangered group of monkeys, red colobus. Conservation Letters 17:e13014. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13014

Linder, J.M., Cronin, D.T., Ting, N., Abwe, E.E., Davenport, T.R.B., Detwiler, K., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Hart, J., Ikemeh, R.A., Kivai, S., Koné, I., Kujirakwinja, D., Maisels, F., McGraw, W.S., Oates, J.F., Struhsaker, T.T. (2021). Red Colobus (Piliocolobus) Conservation Action Plan 2021–2026. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN

Ikemeh, R.A. (2015). Into the Land of Oil and Wood: Conserving the Critically Endangered Niger Delta Red Colobus monkey. The Explorers Journal. Spring issue pg. 28-32

Ikemeh, R.A. (2015). Assessing the Population Status of the Critically Endangered Niger Delta Red Colobus (Piliocolobus epieni). Primate Conservation 29:87-96. https://doi.org/10.1896/052.029.0104

Ikemeh, R.A. (2013). Population Survey of Nigerian-Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) in Southwestern Nigerian Priority Sites: Idanre Forest Cluster and Ise Forest Reserve. African Primates 8:39-50.

Ikemeh, R.A. (2013). Sustainable Forest management in a human dominated landscape and its implications for biodiversity conservation: a Nigerian lowland forest perspective. Research and Reports in Biodiversity Studies 3:9-23. https://doi.org/10.2147/RRBS.S35442