Diversity And Ethnobotanical Uses Of Plants In Proposed Apra Hills Forest Reserve In Southern Ghana

ABSTRACT

The Southern Margin forest type in Ghana now occur in small forest fragments due to the overharvesting of plant resources for purpose of food, medicine, construction and fuelwood. The proposed Apra Hills Forest Reserve is one of the remaining forest fragments of this forest type in southern Ghana although there are no previous in depth studies to support effective forest management of its plant resources. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, plant diversity study and ethnobotanical study was carried out. Nine plots of 25 m x 25 m was established in four vegetation types (Open canopy forest, closed canopy forest, seasonal flooded forest and thicket forest) within the study area. A total of 296 individual plants belonging to 127 taxa were identified. Of the 127 taxa, 114 were identified to species level belonging to 45 families, 10 were identified to genus level, 4 were identified to the family level and 9 taxa were undetermined. Nine of the 114 species identified have been assigned IUCN conservation rating. These species included Afzelia africana, Alafia sp., Albizia ferruginea, Nesogordonia papaverifera rated as vulnerable and Hunteria ghanensis was rated as an endangered species. Inventory completeness ratio was 0.6 (SE ± 0.05) and mean Shannon-Weiner diversity index was 2.0 (SE ± 0.09) for trees, the family sterculiaceae had the highest FIVI value and Hildergardia barteri had the highest IVI value. The DBH distribution pattern of trees showed an inverted J shape. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 74 informants living in three communities around the proposed Apra Hills Forest Reserve to investigate the ethnobotanical use. Results obtained from the ethnobotanical study showed that 35 plant species were reported being used by informants. Nine species, namely were recorded both in the plant diversity and ethnobotanical studies, whereas the following 12 species namely, Afraegle paniculata, Jatropha gossipifolia, Mangifera indica, Milicia excelsa, Paulina pinnata, Senna siamea, Sida acuta Burm, Solanum torvum, Spondias mombin, Strophantus hispidus, Swietenia macrophylla and Zanthoxylum xantholoides were not observed in the plant diversity study but were mentioned by the informants during the

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interview. In terms of use-values (UV) for the 35 species, Swietenia macrophylla had the highest value of 2.0 whereas Momordica charantia had the least value of 0.1. In terms of use categories medicine had the highest ICF value of 39.2 and 19.8. Leaves of plants had the highest use reports and fruits had the least use reports. About 65 % of the indigenes collect plants from proposed Apra Hills Forest Reserve on a weekly basis which account for the depletion of species in the area. Bushfire was mostly cited that threaten plant diversity by the informants. Correlation coefficient was positive and statistically significant (p < 0.05 for all analysis) between number of useful plants and medicinal plants, against species richness and species abundance whereas the relationships between the number of useful plants and vegetation types were insignificant (p > 0.05 for all analysis). Further studies in the proposed reserve should investigate carbon stocks as well as soil characteristics.