The Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana: A Case for Blending Traditional and Introduced Wildlife Conservation Systems

The introduction of nationally-managed “western”-style protected area systems in Africa often led to antagonism between government authorities and local communities, because rural communities, which were largely excluded and displaced, often resorted to unsustainable activities like encroachment for settlement, illegal hunting and farming. It is the view of most biodiversity conservationists, however, that the management of natural resources must take into consideration both the introduced “western” model and traditional or local knowledge. The study aimed at assessing the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana, as an example of blending traditional and introduced wildlife conservation systems, using interviews and questionnaire to obtain information from a cross-section of inhabitants of the area. The results indicated that the dual management system in operation at present has been largely successful, as the inhabitants appear to support the mechanisms put in place to manage the Sanctuary. Policy recommendations proposed to further enhance this success are in the areas of research and monitoring, education and awareness, tourism improvement, and introduction of community incentive schemes.

The Wildlife Trade In Ghana: A Threat To Biodiversity Conservation

The rich biodiversity of Ghana is currently under threat from anthropogenic influences, including local and international trade in wildlife. Thes study investigated the effect of this trade on biodiversity conservation initiatives in Ghana. The study involved the use of interviews and structured questionnaires administered in four towns in the Eastern and Greater-Accra regions of Ghana. The results indicated that the level of awareness of wildlife laws was high among the exclusively male dealers in the trade. Trapping was the most widely used hunting method, and involved some brutality to the captured animals before they were finally killed. Export permit fees charged by the Wildlife Division were found to be very low and, based on uncertain international market prices, pose potential threats to the national economy and wildlife heritage. It is recommended that a policy framework should be developed to regulate the production and use of killer traps in hunting of wildlife. Export permit fees and penalties for non-adherence to wildlife laws also need to be increased to high levels to serve as a deterrent to the over-harvesting and exportation of wildlife.La biodiversité riche du Ghana est actuellement menacé de l\'influence d\'anthropogénie y compris le commerce local et international d\'animaux sauvages. Cette étude enquêtait l\'effet de ce commerce sur les initiatives de la conservation de biodiversité au Ghana. La methodologie entraînait les interviews et les questionnaires structurés appliqués en quatre villes dans les régions de Eastern et de Greater-Accra du Ghana. Les résultats indiquent que le niveau de sensibilisation de lois d\'animaux sauvages était élevé parmi les négociants exclusivement mâles du commerce. La prise au piège était la méthode de chasse la plus généralement employée, mais ceci entrainait beaucoup de violence pour les animaux capturés avant d\'être finalement tués. Le droit de permis d\'exportation facturé par le département de la faune et la flore est considéré d\'être trop bas et basé sur les prix incertains du marché international, posant une menace potentielle à l\'économie nationale et à l\'héritage de la faune et la flore. Il est recommandé qu\'un cadre de principe soit développé pour régler la construction et l\'utilisation des pièges tueuses pour la chasse d\'animaux sauvages. Les droits de permis d\'exportation et les pénalités pour la non-adhésion aux lois d\'animaux sauvage exigent également d\'être augmentés aux niveaux élevés pour avoir un effet dissuasif à la chasse excessive et l\'exportation d\'animaux sauvage. Ghana Journal of Science Vol. 47 2007: pp. 101-10

Small mammal community composition and species diversity in the Shai Hills Resource reserve, Ghana

Biodiversity monitoring and assessment are essential for establishing population trends and status, and the causes of declines in abundance and occupancy within protected areas. However, biodiversity monitoring and assessment are rarely done in developing countries because of funding and other logistic constraints. This study assessed the small mammal (rodents and shrews ≤ 200 g) species composition and diversity in the Shai Hills Resource reserve with the aim of establishing baseline data for regular monitoring. The small mammals were live-trapped using Sherman and Pitfall traps. A trapping effort of 1,080 Sherman trap-nights and 360 Pitfall trap-nights yielded 36 individuals belonging to two orders (Rodentia and Eulipotyphla) and nine species. Five new species, including two shrews Crocidura olivieri and C. crossei, and three rodents Mus muscules, Mastomys natalensis and Arvicanthis rufinus were added to the known small mammal species in the reserve. Uranomys ruddi was the most abundant species. All the species that were captured are listed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and are under no form of protection nationally. The results of this study provide crucial baseline data to the park managers to monitor the population dynamics and changes in the community composition of small mammal in the SHRR and evaluate the impact of management actions on the small mammal biodiversity in the reserve. This can improve their understanding of conservation needs and guide the development of effective habitat management strategy

Kynurenic acid as a biochemical factor underlying the association between Western-style diet and depression : a cross-sectional study

Consumption of a Western-style diet (WS-diet), high in saturated fat and added sugar, is associated with increased depression risk. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying the relationship requires elucidation. Diet can alter tryptophan metabolism along the kynurenine pathway (KP), potentially linking inflammation and depression. This study aimed to examine whether urinary inflammatory markers and KP metabolites differed according to WS-diet consumption and depression severity. Depression symptoms and habitual WS-diet consumption were assessed in 169 healthy adults aged 17–35 recruited from two experimental studies. Targeted metabolomics profiling of seven KP metabolites, ELISA-based assays of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were performed using urine samples collected from the participants. Parametric tests were performed for group comparison and associations analysis. Multilevel mixed-effect modelling was applied to control for biases. Higher intake of WS-diet was associated with lower levels of neuroprotective kynurenic acid (KA; R = −0.17, p = 0.0236). There were no differences in IL-6 or CRP across diet groups (p > 0.05). Physical activity had negative associations with most KP metabolites. Mixed-effects regression analysis showed the glutamatergic inhibitor, KA, was the only biomarker to have a significant association with depression symptoms in a model adjusted for demographic and lifestyle variables: a unit increase in KA was associated with 0.21 unit decrease in Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 depression score (p = 0.009). These findings suggest that urinary KA is associated with both habitual WS-diet intake, and levels of depression symptoms, independent of inflammation. Findings support the role of neuroprotection and glutamatergic modulation in depression. We propose that KA may act as endogenous glutamatergic inhibition in regulating depression severity in the absence of inflammation. Further comparison with blood-based markers will assist in validating the utility of non-invasive urine samples for measuring KP metabolites

Tracking smell loss to identify healthcare workers with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Introduction Healthcare workers (HCW) treating COVID-19 patients are at high risk for infection and may also spread infection through their contact with vulnerable patients. Smell loss has been associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, but it is unknown whether monitoring for smell loss can be used to identify asymptomatic infection among high risk individuals. In this study we sought to determine if tracking smell sensitivity and loss using an at-home assessment could identify SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCW. Methods and findings We performed a prospective cohort study tracking 473 HCW across three months to determine if smell loss could predict SARS-CoV-2 infection in this high-risk group. HCW subjects completed a longitudinal, behavioral at-home assessment of olfaction with household items, as well as detailed symptom surveys that included a parosmia screening questionnaire, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction testing to identify SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our main measures were the prevalence of smell loss in SARS-CoV-2-positive HCW versus SARS-CoV- 2-negative HCW, and timing of smell loss relative to SARS-CoV-2 test positivity. SARS-CoV-2 was identified in 17 (3.6%) of 473 HCW. HCW with SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to report smell loss than SARS-CoV-2-negative HCW on both the at-home assessment and the screening questionnaire (9/17, 53% vs 105/456, 23%, P < .01). 6/9 (67%) of SARS-CoV-2-positive HCW reporting smell loss reported smell loss prior to having a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, and smell loss was reported a median of two days before testing positive. Neurological symptoms were reported more frequently among SARS-CoV-2-positive HCW who reported smell loss compared to those without smell loss (9/9, 100% vs 3/8, 38%, P < .01). Conclusions In this prospective study of HCW, self-reported changes in smell using two different measures were predictive of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Smell loss frequently preceded a positive test and was associated with neurological symptoms

Preliminary observations of the economic importance of rodents in the establishment of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Preliminary surveys to assess the damage caused to oil (Elaeis guineensis) seedlings were conducted during the first two years after transplanting to the field. Four oil palm plantations in the Eastern region of Ghana were selected for the surveys in 1996 and 1997. A survey of the suspected rodent pests was also undertaken during the latter part of 1997. The rodents gradually chewed the succulent apical buds of the seedlings, eventually causing the death of the palm. The ultimate objectives of this survey were: (i) to assess the damage caused to the young oil palm plants by rodents; (ii) to develop the capability to identify rodent pests through the recognition of the type of damage they cause to the oil palm, and (iii) to correctly identify the rodent pests of oil palm and to investigate their general biology and ecology for effective control. The damage assessment surveys involved periodic inspections of the plantations, the recording of the number of undamaged seedlings, and calculation of annual percentage seedling losses. The rodent survey involved a capture and identification programme using Sherman collapsible live traps placed along designated transects within the plantations. Identifications were confirmed using identification keys, manuals and voucher specimens. All the rodents captured so far have been identified as Dasymys incomtus (shaggy swamp rat), which has also been observed as a serious pest of oil palm in Nigeria and La Côte d'Ivoire. The assessment of rodent damage in the designated plantations indicated a drastic rise in percentage plant destruction of between 0-3% after the first year, to 41-57% after the second year of transplanting. The need to conduct further research, and the specific areas to be investigated in order to design effective rodent management and control strategies to preserve plant stands for maximum yields, have been stressed. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 2 No. 3 (2000) pp. 164-16

Assessment and comparison of current rodent control techniques towards the protection of young oil palms (Elaies guineensis) in the field

A field study was conducted in the Eastern region of Ghana to assess and compare five methods for the protection of young oil palms (Elaies guineensis) against rodent pests. The rodents attack the bulb of the young oil palm trees leading to eventual death and a reduction in plant stands. The methods (treatments) were broadly grouped into two, with one group comprising two treatments (use of double and single wire nets) recommended by the Oil Palm Research Institute (OPRI), and the other group comprising three traditional methods used by the local farmers (use of basket collars, Jatropha curcus seedlings and regular maintenance schedules). The experiment involved the use of a randomized block design with four replications, each treatment plot consisting of 15 seedlings of oil palm in three rows of five at a spacing of 8.7 metres in a triangular array. Over a twelve-month period, monthly records were taken of the number of dead palm plants and the number of rodent pest attacks as indicated by signs of physical damage to the palm. The results indicated that use of wire nets (OPRI-recommended) was more effective in protecting the young palms against rodent attacks than the “traditional” methods variously employed by local farmers. Economic analysis of the two OPRI-recommended methods, however, indicated that single wire netting (consisting of a single wire collar wound tightly around the basal area of the palm, and placed slightly deeper into the ground to prevent rodents from burrowing through) was more cost-effective than double wire netting, and therefore holds promise for the protection of young oil palms against rodent pests. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 2 No. 2 (2000) pp. 99-10