TY - GEN A1 - Opuni-Frimpong, Emmanuel A1 - Gabienu, Elizabeth M. A1 - Adusu, Daniel A1 - Opuni-Frimpong, Nana Yeboaa A1 - Damptey, Frederick Gyasi T1 - Plant diversity, conservation significance, and community structure of two protected areas under different governance T2 - Trees, Forests and People N2 - Protected areas have become a vital component of the global biodiversity conservation strategy due to the increasing extinction and vulnerability of different species in the 21st century. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) emphasises the need to harness all available resources and models, including collaborative and indigenous forest conservation practices, to ensure holistic global biodiversity conservation strategies. In Ghana, besides the shared governance of protected area management, there also exists the governance by indigenous community models in which traditional structures (clans and stools) use taboos, deities, totems, and myths as tools in managing protected areas. To study the effectiveness of the various governance systems in protected area management, we compared species diversity, vegetation structure, and biomass stock of an area under shared governance (wildlife sanctuary) to communal governance (sacred grove). Each protected area was purposively stratified and each stratum assigned condition score based on the degree to which the area has been disturbed. Six spatially separated plots (at least 200 m apart) with sizes 25 × 25 m were demarcated in each of the two protected areas. All trees with a diameter ≥ 10 cm at breast height were inventoried. For each tree, the diameter and height were measured and further used for biomass stock estimation. Each tree conservation significance was determined based on star ratings in-country and the IUCN red list of threatened species database. The study recorded a total of 201 trees consisting of 40 species and 23 families with a higher diversity in the wildlife sanctuary. Anogeissus leiocarpus mostly dominated the sacred grove, while the wildlife sanctuary was dominated by Trichilia prieureana, Ceiba pentandra, Cola gigantea, Pycnanthus angolensis, Cola caricifolia, and Pterygota macrocarpa. Most trees in the sacred grove were green star rated, with one scarlet, red and black tree. Only one tree was vulnerable, endangered with a decreasing population trend. The wildlife sanctuary is also characterised mainly by green star ratings, with few red, pink, and scarlets. Most of the species were least concerned on the IUCN list, with three been vulnerable and one endangered species. Mean diameter at breast height (dbh) and the average height was greater in wildlife sanctuary than the sacred grove. Basal area and above-ground biomass were 12.814 m2ha−1, 922 Mg ha−1, and 5.156 m2ha−1, 211 Mg ha−1 for the wildlife sanctuary and the sacred grove, respectively. Though the wildlife sanctuary supports a greater composition and diversity of plant species than the sacred grove, some synergies could be seen in both governance models. Therefore, both governance models should be employed to ensure sustainable management of the country's protected areas and diverse resources. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100082 SN - 2666-7193 IS - 4 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Damptey, Frederick Gyasi A1 - Opuni-Frimpong, Nana Yeboaa A1 - Arimiyaw, Abdul Wahid A1 - Bentsi-Enchill, Felicity A1 - Wiafe, Edward Debrah A1 - Abeyie, Betty Boante A1 - Mensah, Martin Kofi A1 - Debrah, Daniel Kwame A1 - Yeboah, Augustine Oti A1 - Opuni-Frimpong, Emmanuel T1 - Citizen Science Approach for Assessing the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Potential of Urban Green Spaces in Ghana T2 - Land N2 - Urban green spaces are linked to good human health and well-being, sustainable cities and communities, climate action, life on land and under water, as well as offering a platform for quality nature-based education. Their efficient management will no doubt be necessary if strides are to be made in efforts to protect biodiversity and enhance ecosystem service delivery in urban areas. This will, in part, require building the capacity of community members as citizen scientists to take up conservation roles. This study explored the levels of biodiversity and the proxy-based ecosystem service potential of urban green spaces in Sunyani, Ghana, using citizen science approaches. The green spaces accessed were the University of Energy and Natural Resources Wildlife Sanctuary and Arboretum, the Sunyani Parks and Gardens, the Sunyani Residency Park, and the Sunyani Senior High School Woodlot. The different levels of biodiversity (trees, arthropods) and ecosystem services were observed for the five green spaces assessed, with a significant relationship observed between arthropod communities and vegetation variables. Our results showed that citizen scientists perceived urban green spaces to supply more significant provisioning and regulating services than any other ecosystem services, even though they were highly dissatisfied with how green spaces are managed. The children’s perception of the composition of nature was slightly narrow, as they largely centered on plants and animals only. Even so, their awareness of the value of nature was high, as were the threats of human activities to nature. Citizen science approaches could complement biodiversity studies in data-deficient regions; however, collected data may require additional verification and validation from experts for conclusive and better inferences. KW - environmental education KW - nature conservation KW - sustainable development goals KW - urbanization Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/land11101774 SN - 2073-445X VL - 11 IS - 10 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Damptey, Frederick Gyasi A1 - Adofo, Ernest A1 - Duah-Gyamfi, Akwasi A1 - Adusu, Daniel A1 - Opuni-Frimpong, Emmanuel T1 - Logging effects on seedling regeneration and diversity in a tropical moist semi-deciduous forest in Ghana T2 - Geology, Ecology, and Landscapes N2 - The effect of time lag after logging on seedling dynamics was assessed in logged and unlogged forest plots located in the Pra-Anum Forest Reserve. Remnant tree attributes were sampled in six plots with sizes of 25 × 25 m in each forest type. Within each forest type, ten subplots with sizes 1 × 1 m were established for sampling seedling regeneration dynamics. Enumerated seedlings were grouped as pioneer, non-pioneer light demander, and shade-tolerant species. Regenerating seedlings were more diverse in the recently logged forest area characterised by Broussonetia papyrifera and Musanga cecropioides, and least in the unlogged forest driven predominantly by Celtis mildbraedii and Baphia nitida. Pioneer species were primarily dominant in the recently logged forest, while shade-tolerant and non-pioneer light-demanding species characterised the logged-over forest. Species richness and canopy openness of remnant stands explained 32 percent of the variations in regeneration richness between the logged and unlogged areas. Twenty-seven percent of the variations in seedling abundance was also explained by remnant trees richness, their size diameter and the degree to which their canopy has been opened. Logging-induced disturbance favours the sporadic emergence of pioneer species in recently disturbed areas which are later replaced by non-pioneer light-demanding or shade-tolerant species as light becomes limiting in the understory. KW - Canopy Gaps KW - Logging-induced Disturbance KW - Pioneer Species KW - Species Colonisation KW - Seedling Diversity Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/24749508.2021.1952769 SN - 2474-9508 VL - 7(2023) IS - 4 SP - 269 EP - 280 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Damptey, Frederick Gyasi A1 - Opuni-Frimpong, Emmanuel A1 - Ayine Nsor, Collins A1 - Addai, James A1 - Kwame Debrah, Daniel A1 - Schnerch, Benjamin A1 - Bentsi-Enchill, Felicity A1 - Korjus, Henn T1 - Taxonomic and community composition of epigeal arthropods in monoculture and mixed tree species plantations in a deciduous forest of Ghana T2 - Journal of Forestry Research N2 - Tropical forests provide several ecosystem services and functions and support approximately two-thirds of the world’s biodiversity but are seriously threatened by deforestation. Approaches to counteract this menace have revolved around aforestation with several or a single tree species. We thus investigated how plantation forests with either a single or several tree species infuenced arthropod taxonomic and community composition using pitfall traps to sample selected groups of epigeal arthropods (Araneae, Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Hymenoptera) and with environmental variables assessed simultaneously. Our results revealed 54 taxonomic groups with signifcantly higher taxonomic richness, activity density, and diversity in the mixed stands than in the monoculture stands. The significant differences in community composition were mainly driven by families including Lycosidae, Formicidae, Staphylinidae, Scotylidae, Hydrophilidae, Gryllidae and Scarabaeidae and were explained by distinct habitat characteristics (canopy openness, litter depth, deadwood volume, and tree height). While the diverse tree communities and heterogeneous vegetation structure ofered food and habitat resources for diverse arthropod groups, the allelopathic nature coupled with homogenous stand characteristics of the Tectona grandis stands in the monoculture suppressed the growth of understorey vegetation that could otherwise serve as food and habitat resources for arthropods, which might have led to limited activities and diversity of arthropods in the monoculture plantation stands. The fndings thus highlight the need to promote mixed tree plantations in degraded tropical areas, especially when restoring biodiversity is the prime management focus. KW - Arthropod community KW - Forest plantations KW - Structural complexity KW - Tree diversity KW - Tropical deforestation Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-022-01508-y VL - 34 IS - 3 SP - 641 EP - 653 ER -