Our Team

Mac Elikem Nutsuakor is a conservation scientist and applied ecologist with strong professional experience in biodiversity assessment, wildlife research, and conservation planning within human-modified and extractive landscapes, particularly mining and forest–agricultural mosaics in Ghana and West Africa over the past twenty (20) years.

Mac is presently a PhD candidate in Wildlife and Range Management at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He holds an MSc in Forest Ecology and Forest Science from Georg-August Universität, Germany, a BSc in Environment and Natural Resources Management from University of Ghana, and a Diploma in Natural Resources Management from KNUST.
In the field of academics, Elikem is actively involved in teaching, mentoring students, and supervising field research, contributing extensively to national biodiversity surveys and conservation research.

Mac has worked on numerous high-profile conservation projects. Notably among these are; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) (German Research Foundation) funded research on zoonotic diseases, International Foundation for Science (IFS) for elephant surveys in the Digya National Park, A Rocha/Ecosystem Grant Programme of the Netherlands Committee of IUCN towards the establishment of Yazori-Kaden Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA) around the Mole National Park; European Union Funded Protected Area Development Program Phase 2 (EU-PADP II); Global Wildlife Fund to survey the white-naped mangabey in the Yoyo Forest Reserve; the Mohammed Bin Zayeed fund for Conservation to assess the distribution of, and the threat posed by hunting to the African golden cat at Afadjato and Agumatsa Conservation Area (AACA), in the Dahomey Gap area of Ghana. Since 2005, Elikem has been an integral part of a research team involved in monitoring biodiversity and relocation of fauna species in some medium-large scale mining companies in Ghana and the main resource person to monitor avia diversity in the Kakum Hotspot Intervention Area (HIA) and the Juabeso-Bia HIA towards implementation of CREMA, HIA governance structures and processes, as well as the roll-out of climate-smart cocoa and finally assessing ecological/environmental, socio-economic and production conditions in the landscapes and then monitoring changes over time. More recently, Elikem in collaboration with the Calgary Zoo/Wilder Institute to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Study for the for the development of the various project activities in Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary and Avu Lagoon Community Protected Area.

He currently serves as the Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at Alliance for Pangolin Conservation Ghana (Pangolin-Gh), where he provides scientific leadership, guides research design, and ensures that conservation interventions are evidence-based and measurable. In this capacity, Elikem leads the organization’s research agenda, oversees monitoring and evaluation frameworks, supports publications and reporting, and mentors early-career conservationists. His work strengthens the scientific foundation of Pangolin-Gh’s efforts to conserve pangolins and other threatened wildlife species while promoting sustainable, community-centered conservation solutions.