A review of the status of the fauna of selected protected areas in the major vegetation zones of Ghana

Abstract

The fauna in four major vegetation types, namely, rainforest, semi-deciduous forest, inland savanna and coastal scrub and grassland, was examined with the main objective of providing a general description of the fauna and highlighting the species that are threatened or of special conservation concern, nationally and globally. The fauna examined were
mammals (large and small), birds and reptiles. The sources of information include the Internet, books, journals and faunal survey reports on various forest reserves and protected areas in Ghana. The threat to fauna appears to be highest in the rainforest and the semi-deciduous forest. For mammals, 41.8 and 28 per cent are threatened in the rainforest and semi-deciduous forest, respectively. The comparable figures for birds are 4.5 and 3.1 per cent. The most endangered (critically endangered) mammal species in Ghana is the Miss Waldron’s red colobus monkey
(Procolobus badius); current thinking is that it has gone extinct. Six species of mammals are endangered (IUCN) in the semi-deciduous forest, two in the rainforest and four in the inland savanna; no endangered species has been recorded in the coastal scrub and grassland. The main causes of threat to fauna in forest reserves are habitat degradation and
fragmentation, to which mining activities have been contributing in recent times.