Dr. George Kwaku Duku Ametsitsi is a distinguished Senior Research Scientist specialising in tropical forest and savanna ecology, fire ecology, and vegetation dynamics. He is also an expert in wood product quality control and standards. His current work focuses on understanding forest-savanna transitions, fire’s role in ecosystems, and the impacts of environmental changes on tropical vegetation. Assigned to the Forest & Climate Change Division (CSIR-FORIG), he has contributed significantly to research, capacity building, and sustainable forest management. A PhD graduate in Forest and Savanna Ecology from Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands, Dr. Ametsitsi has a strong foundation in ecological research, field experimentation, and data analysis. His research has been instrumental in advancing knowledge on forest-savanna boundaries, fire-mediated feedback, and tropical ecosystem resilience to climate change. Committed to continuous professional growth, he remains a leader in his field, driving impactful collaborative research and sustainable solutions.

Issifu, H., van Langevelde, F., Logah, V., Ametsitsi, G. K., Klijn, J., Satorelli, P., ... & Veenendaal, E. (2025). Decoupling the Effects of Fire and Dry Season Drought on Seedling Establishment Success of Tree Functional Types in Humid Savannas. Tropical Conservation Science, 18, 19400829251314110.

Baidoo, E., Logah, V., Adjei-Gyapong, T., Ocansey, C. M., Ametsitsi, G. K., Narh, S., & Veenendaal, E. M. (2024). Soil properties of thickets and adjacent land use types in coastal savanna landscape of Ghana. Geoderma Regional, 37, e00803.

Logah, V., Abubakari, F., Issifu, H., Adjei‐Gyapong, T., Baidoo, E., Abubakari, A., ... & Veenendaal, E. (2024). Soil carbon, nutrient, and vegetation dynamics of an old Anogeissus grove in Mole National Park, Ghana. Biotropica, 56(2), e13299.

de Faria, S. M., Ringelberg, J. J., Gross, E., Koenen, E. J., Cardoso, D., Ametsitsi, G. K., ... & James, E. K. (2022). The innovation of the symbiosome has enhanced the evolutionary stability of nitrogen fixation in legumes. New Phytologist.

Issifu, H., Vergeer, P., Ametsitsi, G. K. D., Klijn, J., Sartorelli, P., Tanson, M., Bayor, H., Logah, V., Langevelde, F. Van, & Veenendaal, E. (2021). Responses of tropical tree seedlings in the forest – ¬ savanna boundary to combined effects of grass competition and fire. Biotropica, February, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12948

Ametsitsi, G. K.D., Van Langevelde, F., Logah, V., Janssen, T., Medina-Vega, J. A., Issifu, H., Ollivier, L., den Hartogh, K., Adjei-Gyapong, T., Adu-Bredu, S., Lloyd, J., & Veenendaal, E. M. (2020). Fixed or mixed? Variation in tree functional types and vegetation structure in a forest-savanna ecotone in West Africa. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467420000085

Issifu, H., Ametsitsi, G. K. D., De Vries, L. J., Djagbletey, G. D., Adu-Bredu, S., Vergeer, P., Van Langevelde, F., & Veenendaal, E. (2019). Variation in vegetation cover and seedling performance of tree species in a forest-savanna ecotone. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 35(2), 74–82. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467418000469

Djagbletey, G. D., Adu-Bredu, S., Dua-Gyamfi, A., Abeney, E. A., Asante, W. A., Amponsah-Manu, E., Dabo, J., Ametsitsi, G. K. D., Amponsah, J. O. Floristic composition and carbon stocks of tree species of different conservation categories following selective logging in a moist semi-deciduous forest in Ghana. Ghana J. Forestry. Vol 34(1). 2018. 15-34

Janssen, T. A. J., Ametsitsi, G. K. D., Collins, M., Adu-Bredu, S., Oliveras, I., Mitchard, E. T. A., & Veenendaal, E. M. (2018). Extending the baseline of tropical dry forest loss in Ghana (1984–2015) reveals drivers of major deforestation inside a protected area. Biological Conservation, 218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.12.004

Cardoso AW, Medina-Vega JA, Malhi Y, Adu-Bredu S, Ametsitsi GKD, Djagbletey G, van Langevelde F, Veenendaal E, Oliveras I. 2016 Winners and losers: tropical forest tree seedling survival across a West-African forest-savanna transition. Ecol. Evol. 6, 3417–3429. (doi:10.1002/ece3.2133)

Bonsi, R., Hammett. A.L. and Ametsitsi, G. 2011. Assessing the current situation of Ghana’s forest products industry. Ghana Journal of Forestry 27(3): 1–14

PhD in Forest and Savanna Ecology (2021) Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands

MSc in Environmental Resources Management (2003) Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana

BSc in Natural Resources Management (1999) Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana

Tropical Forest and Savanna Ecology, Fire Ecology, Vegetation Dynamics

Dr. Ametsitsi's research focuses on the health and future of tropical forests and savannas, ecosystems that are critical to global biodiversity and climate regulation. His work addresses key questions such as:

What Drives Ecosystem Change?

How do forests and savannas interact, and what causes one to replace the other?

What role do fire, soil, and climate play in shaping these ecosystems?

How Do Ecosystems Recover?

How do plants and animals recover after disturbances like fire or drought?

What makes some ecosystems more resilient to change than others?

What Does the Future Hold?

How will climate change affect tropical forests and savannas?

What can we do to protect these ecosystems and the communities that depend on them?

Dr. Ametsitsi’s research not only advances scientific understanding but also supports efforts to conserve and sustainably manage these vital ecosystems.

2021-Date: Senior Research Scientist, CSIR-FORIG

2009-2021: Research Scientist, CSIR-FORIG

2004-2009: Project Officer, CSIR-FORIG/ITTO Project PD 318/04 Rev. 2. (I); Quality Control and Standardization of Ghanaian Wood Products

2004-2010: Project Officer, Community Forestry Management Project / Forest Plantation Development Centre, WITC Akyawkrom, Ghana

2002-2004: Projects Officer, Friends of Rivers & Water Bodies (NGO), Kumasi

1999-2003: Projects Officer, GEF Project: People Land Use and Environmental Change (WAPLEC, KNUST)

1999-2000: Teaching Assistant. Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR), KNUST, Kumasi

Conducted groundbreaking research on forest-savanna transitions, fire ecology, and vegetation dynamics.

Established a research facility and flux tower in the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve for long-term ecological studies.

Supervised and mentored postgraduate students from universities and other institutions.

Contributed to the development of National Standards for Wood Products in Ghana.

Led projects on Quality Control and Standardisation of Ghanaian wood products.

Conducted training workshops on wood quality evaluation and forest management.

A photo-monitoring and field verification expert.

Teaching Assistant, Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR) KNUST, Kumasi

Research Staff Association-CSIR