Seasonal variation in the selection and use of habitats by large herbivores at Mole National Park, Ghana

There is scanty information on herbivore habitat ecology at Mole National Park (MNP) despite the fact that understanding habitat interactions, such as habitat selection and use, by large herbivores is fundamental for its management. Our aim was to determine the effects of seasonal variation on habitat selection and use by large herbivores at MNP, Ghana. Eight large herbivores were counted within transects, located in six habitat types, over one year and Jacobs’ selectivity index was used to calculate their selectivity of the habitat types. Six of the eight herbivores maintained their preferred habitats throughout all seasons or showed unpredictable seasonal pattern of habitat selectivity, but a seasonal change was clear for elephant (Loxodonta africana) and buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Elephant shifted from riverine forest to swamp habitats in the dry season but preferred both riverine and swamp in other seasons. Buffalo selected and used Anogeissus in all seasons but used swamp in the rainy season and riverine forest in the fire season. Kob (Kobus kob), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) appeared to minimise predation risk by avoiding the open savanna, waterbuck (Kobus defassa) preferred swamp in all seasons, whereas roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) and hartebeest (Alcelaphus bucelaphus) avoided swamp. All eight herbivores were less selective in the rainy season and more selective in the fire season. Shrinkage of habitat resources by fire increased selectivity, while post-fire regrowth in the rainy season increased forage resources and reduced selectivity. Of the factors that influenced the seasonal patterns of herbivore selectivity, only fire can be addressed by National Park management policies, particularly to determine which habitat types should be the focus of fire control operations

The role of size and number of forest patches in the conservation of bird species in a fragmented landscape

We used presence data to evaluate the role of small patches in bird conservation in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana by surveying 24 forest patches. Cumulative species-area and number curves were plotted by ordering patch size from large to small and then small to large and values for cumulative area or number, richness and abundance calculated. We identified a total of 162 bird species during the study. There was no relationship between either patch area or number of patches and either species richness or abundance of birds. Therefore, we could not support the theory of passive sampling, which suggests large patches host higher species richness than small patches. Perhaps, this is, because of the following observed phenomena: 1). Edge effect, as species from nearby matrices used the patches; 2). Habitat sampling, as species sampled several different patches; and 3). Spillover, as species moved from nearby large reserves, such as Kakum Conservation Area (KCA), to the patches. The patches together occupied 2 947 ha and, compared with KCA, this is a ratio of 1:12, but the ratio in terms of species richness is 2:3, suggesting that many small patches could host more species than one large patch of comparable size. Thus, small patches are valuable for the conservation of bird species, which calls for various conservation bodies and institutions to take measures towards protecting such patches.   French Title: Le rôle de la taille et du nombre de parcelles forestières dans la conservation des espèces d’oiseaux dans un paysage fragmenté Nous avons utilisé des données de présence pour évaluer le rôle des petites parcelles dans la conservation des oiseaux dans la métropole de Cape Coast au Ghana en enquêtant sur 24 parcelles forestières. Les courbes cumulatives espèces-superficies et nombres ont été tracées en ordonnant la taille des parcelles de grande à petite, puis de petite à grande et les valeurs de superficies ou de nombres cumulées, de richesse et d’abondancecalculées. Nous avons identifié un total de 162 espèces d’oiseaux au cours de l’étude. Il n’y avait aucune relation entre la superficie ou le nombre de parcelles et la richesse spécifique des oiseaux et leurs abondances. Par conséquent, nous ne pouvions pas soutenir la théorie de l’échantillonnage passif, qui suggère que les grandes parcelles abritent une richesse en espèces plus élevée que les petites parcelles. Peut-être, cela est dû à l’observation des phénomènes suivants: 1). Effet de bord, car les espèces des matrices voisines utilisaient les patchs; 2). Échantillonnage de l’habitat, car les espèces ont échantillonné plusieurs parcelles différentes; et 3). Les retombées, lorsque les espèces se sont déplacées des grandes réserves voisines telles que la zone de conservation de Kakum (KCA) vers les parcelles. Les parcelles occupaient ensemble 2 947 ha et par rapport à KCA, ce rapport est de 1:12 mais le rapport en termes de richesse en espèces est de 2: 3, ce qui suggère que de nombreuses petites parcelles pourraient héberger plus d’espèces qu’une grande parcelle de taille comparable. Ainsi, les petites parcelles sont précieuses pour la conservation des espèces d’oiseaux, cela nécessite que divers organismes et institutions de conservation prennent des mesures pour protéger ces parcelles. Keywords: abundance, cumulative curves, edge effect, habitat sampling, passive sampling, species richnes

Evaluation of the community resources management area (CREMA) programme around Ankasa conservation area, Ghana

The Community Resources Management Area (CREMA) programme was evaluated in 2016 around the Ankasa Conservation Area of Ghana by comparing the outcome of this study with that of a baseline study in 2008. Data were collected by applying specific techniques to survey mammals, reptiles, habitats and focus groups. The results indicated a reduced average species encounter rate from 10.2/km in 2008 to 3.7/km in 2016; a decreased mammals’ species richness from 25 to 18; a decreased Primates and Artiodactyles encounter but increased mammalian carnivores and reptiles encounters. Mammalian species richness declined through forest conversion and wildlife poaching in the CREMAs. The programme has yet to meet expectations but communities’ interests have already waned through mistrust in the implementation messages, which beguiled their interests. The benefits of CREMA are a long way to go, which should have been declared at the onset because understanding the programme should be the first step towards its successful implementation

Amphibian species assemblages in a tropical forest of Bangladesh

Tropical forests are considered one of the most important biogeographic zones for amphibian species diversity. As a tropical country in Asia, Bangladesh implements different types of forest management practices in its forests, which might affect prevailing forest quality in the existing forest types. The current state of information on the impact of habitat alteration on amphibian species assemblages in Bangladesh is inadequate. To evaluate this, we conducted a study in Khadimnagar National Park (KNP) in north-eastern Bangladesh. We used a combination of several common amphibian study techniques in 15 pre-marked transects covering three major habitat types in KNP: forest edge, forest interior and swamp area. Twelve anuran species belonging to eleven genera and six families were recorded during the study period. Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis was the most abundant species, representing 51.7% of the recorded individuals, followed by Fejervarya spp. (18.9%); the remaining 10 species altogether recorded less than 30% of the total abundance. Duttaphrynus melanostictus, Kaloula pulchra and Raorchestes parvulus in particular occurred with very low abundance. Species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and evenness index value indicated that the amphibian species assemblage in the forest interior is more diverse than the forest edge and swamp area

Data from: Numbers and population trends of large herbivores in Mole National Park, Ghana

Mole National Park (MNP) is Ghana’s oldest and largest wildlife preserve. Eight large herbivores were counted in four different seasons in 2013/2014 on transects covering 4.7% of the park to estimate their population sizes and trends after changes in park management; all species were more abundant than previously reported. Averaging counts across seasons, and including all age classes, gave an estimated population of 1595 elephants, which is likely to be a substantial proportion of the west African elephant population. Kob were the most abundant herbivore, with an estimated population of 9092, followed by bushbuck (6758), warthog (6247) and hartebeest (6039). Roan, buffalo and waterbuck population estimates were 4382, 4272 and 4140 respectively. The impact of widespread burning on herbivore populations is currently unknown, but probably helps maintain both numbers and diversity. While all herbivore populations were higher than previously estimated, it was hard to determine the extent of recent increases due to methodological limitations of earlier aerial surveys. However, the distribution of large herbivores seems to be little changed, suggesting that both numbers and distribution are still limited by poaching and seasonal water availability