Plant species diversity, abundance and conservation status of the Ankasa Resource Reserve, Ghana

• Published in: Trees, Forests and People (Online) Forests and People (Online), 2022-06, Vol.8, p.100264, Article 100264
• Main Authors: Owusu, George, Anning, Alexander K., Belford, Ebenezer J.D., Acquah, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ankasa conservation area; Plant diversity; Threatened plants; Tropical rainforest
• ISSN: 2666-7193; 2666-7193
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tfp.2022.100264

•Plant diversity, distribution and conservation status of the Ankasa Reserve studied.•A total of 7521 individuals belong to 239 species and 65 families were identified in six sites (6 ha).•Species diversity and abundance varied considerably across the studied sites.•15.9% of the species identified were either near threatened or threatened with extinction.•Studies provided evidence of the high conservation importance of the Ankasa reserve. Knowledge of the floristic composition, structure and conservation status of tropical forests is essential for their sustainable management and conservation, although this remains poorly documented in some tropical countries. Here, we investigated the plant species diversity, distribution and conservation status of the Ankasa Resource Reserve, Ghana, to inform management and conservation efforts. A total of 150 plots (20 m × 20 m each) were demarcated across six recognizable sites, namely; Lophira Tree (LT), Bucket Trail (BT), Big Tree Area (BGA), Bamboo Cathedral (BC), Elubo Camp (EC) and “Dadwen” (DW) for enumeration of trees. Smaller nested plots were used for saplings (5 m × 5 m) and seedlings (1 m × 1 m). Patterns in composition and structure were assessed using various diversity and abundance metrics, whereas the global conservation status of species were determined from the IUCN Red List. In all, 7521 individuals, belonging to 239 species and 65 families, were recorded in the study. The LT was the most diverse of the six habitats (richness = 113, Shannon = 4.32) whereas the BC (62, 3.63) was the least. Hill numbers and rarefaction curves confirmed these variations. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed three distinct compositional units or community types in the reserve. Across all sites, Dacryodes klaineana, Picrilima nitida, Drypetes gilgiana and Gluema ivorensis dominated the tree layer, with IVI (%) of 6.71, 5.69, 5.00, 3.88, respectively. Leguminosae, Apocynaceae and Euphorbiaceae were the most dominant families. Of the 239 species identified, 15.9% are classified as near threatened to threatened with extinction, 62.3% of least concern, and 20% not been evaluated. The DW and EC have the highest conservation values while BGA and BC have the least. The results confirm the high floristic richness and conservation status of the Ankasa reserve, and suggest the need for priority conservation actions to maintain its biodiversity.