Biography
I am a conservation biologist with a strong interest in human-bird interactions. Growing up in Navrongo, northern Ghana, where livelihoods depend closely on nature, I developed a deep connection to the environment from an early age. As a child, I enjoyed outdoor adventures but always interested in taking care of wild animals. A school trip to the Mole National Park of Ghana further deepened my passion for conservation as I watched the fascinating scenes of wildlife in their natural habitat.
Research focus
My BSc dissertation at the University for Development Studies focused on the bird trade in Navrongo and surrounding areas. After graduation in 2021, I worked with my department as a research and teaching assistant. In 2022 I collaborated with Jessica van der Wal conducting pilot studies of honey-hunting with honeyguides in Ghana. Fascinated by this unique mutualism, I pursued an MSc in Conservation Biology at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, graduating in 2024. My research explored the relationship between people and honeyguides, and the resilience of the mutualism in the face of socio-economic growth.
Publications:
- Kamboe, W-B.W., Spottiswoode, C.N., Aikins, T.K. & van der Wal, J.E.M. 2025 Honey-hunting with honeyguides in northern Ghana and its resilience to socio-economic change. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (in press)
- van der Wal, J.E.M., Afan, A.I., Anyawire, M., Begg, C.M., Begg, K.S., Dabo, G.A., Gedi, I.I., Harris, J.A., Isack, H.A., Ibrahim, J.I., Jamie, G.A., Kamboe, W.-B.W., Kilawi, A.O., Kingston, A., Laltaika, E.A., Lloyd-Jones, D.J., M’manga, G.M., Muhammad, N.Z., Ngcamphalala, C.A., Nhlabatsi, S.O., Oleleteyo, T.T., Sanda, M., Tsamkxao, L., Wood, B.M., Spottiswoode, C.N., Cram, D.L. 2023 Do honey badgers and greater honeyguide birds cooperate to access bees’ nests? Ecological evidence and honey-hunter accounts. Journal of Zoology 321: 22-32 https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.13093 Read abstract in English and Kiswahili here