Ankasa Conservation Area
Summary
- Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) may be present in Ankasa Conservation Area.
- Chimpanzees have not been documented in the area since 2016.
- The chimpanzee population trend is unknown; possibly absent.
- The site has a total size of 509 km².
- Key threats to chimpanzees are agricultural encroachment and hunting.
- Conservation activities have focused on education, patrolling, and preventing further degradation from farming activities.
Site characteristics
Ankasa Conservation Area (National Park and Resource Reserve) is located in the South Western part of Ghana, borderingIvory Coast. The Park is one of the few remnants of undisturbed Tropical Rainforest in Ghana. It was created in 1976. The site is very rich in biodiversity including forest elephants, bongos, leopards, olive colobus, black and white colobus, mangabey and other monkeys, yellow backed duikers and other duikers, pangolins, over 200 species of birds recorded, over 600 species of butterflies etc. The area is one of the known World Bird Areas and a Key Biodiversity Area (Ofori-Amanfo, R. pers. comm. 2023).
Table 1. Basic site information for Ankasa Conservation Area
| Area | 509 km² |
| Coordinates | 5.252710, -2.583665 |
| Designation | Conservation Area and Resource Reserve |
| Habitat types | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest |
Ape status
Chimpanzees have not been documented in the area since 2016.
Table 2. Ape population estimates in Ankasa Conservation Area
| Species | Year | Abundance estimate (95% CI) | Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI) | Encounter rate (nests/km) | Area | Method | Source | Comments | A.P.E.S. database ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pan troglodytes verus | 2016 | 0 | Ankasa Conservation Area | Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2016 |
Threats
There are poaching camps, which the park’s staff has encountered, as well as temporary farm houses in encroached areas, but efforts are being made to clear all these in the park (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023).
Table 3. Threats to apes in Ankasa Conservation Area
| Category | Specific threats | Threat level | Quantified severity | Description | Year of threat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Unknown | ||||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Medium | About 50 ha of farmland within the site (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | The community members are predominantly farmers, embarking on cocoa and rubber plantations affecting the surroundings of the park and the entire landscape (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Unknown | ||||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Unknown | ||||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Low | Communities surrounding the Park (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | 2016 - 2020 | |
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Unknown | ||||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Unknown | ||||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Unknown | ||||
| 9. Pollution | Unknown | ||||
| 10. Geological Events | Absent | ||||
| 11. Climate change & severe weather | Unknown | ||||
| 12. Other options | Absent |
Conservation activities
The Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission is the main organization that protects the Ankasa Conservation Area. Forest Research Institute and some Universities in the country carry out research in the Park and give some recommendations regarding management of some of the species and information on some species in the Park for conservation and management purposes.
Table 4. Conservation activities in Ankasa Conservation Area
| Category | Specific activity | Description | Year of activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential & commercial development | Not reported | ||
| 2. Agriculture & aquaculture | 2.8. Prohibit (livestock) farmers from entering protected areas | Farmers and all unauthorised people are not allowed to enter into the reserve by intensive patrols within the area (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 2.11. Farm more intensively and effectively in selected areas and spare more natural land | Old cocoa and rubber farms are being cleared (since 2016) to plant new hybrid to yield more products to increase farmers income rather than clearing more land for cultivation (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) | |
| 3. Energy production & mining | Not reported | ||
| 4. Transportation & service corridors | Not reported | ||
| 5. Biological resource use | 5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols | Field staff undertake day patrols, over night patrols and long/sleeping patrols in the Park to control poaching and for field data collection (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 5.11. Provide training to anti-poaching ranger patrols | Staff are trained in, how take field data on animals and how to manage the animal species causing human animals conflict and others (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) | |
| 6. Human intrusion & disturbance | Not reported | ||
| 7. Natural system modifications | Not reported | ||
| 8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases | Not reported | ||
| 9. Pollution | Not reported | ||
| 10. Education & Awareness | 10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use | Local communities are educated on the need to conserve the resources in the Park since the 1990s (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023). | Ongoing (2023) |
| 11. Habitat Protection | Not reported | ||
| 12. Species Management | Not reported | ||
| 13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives | Not reported |
Challenges to conservation
Inadequate equipment and financial resources make protection of the Park difficult. The communities’ expectation is very high; that serves as disincentive to them no matter the efforts put in to support them (Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023).
Table 5. Challenges reported for Ankasa Conservation Area
| Challenge | Source |
|---|---|
| Lack of financial means | Ofori-Amanfo pers. obs. 2023 |
| Lack of logistical means | Wildlife Division and PADP II, 2010 |
| Lack of human resources | Wildlife Division and PADP II, 2010 |
| Lack of trust and support from local communities | Wildlife Division and PADP II, 2010 |
Research activities
Documented behaviours
Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Ankasa Conservation Area
| Behavior | Source |
|---|---|
| Not reported |
Table 6b. Ape behaviors reported for Ankasa Conservation Area
| Behavior category | Behavior type | Tool use type | Tool use source | Target resource | Target scientific name | Observation type | Frequency | Effort (hours) | Last observation | Seasonality | Coordinates | Subspecies | |
| e.g., foraging | e.g., tortoise smashing | e.g., projectile, anvil, stick, etc. | e.g., wood, stone, vegetation, etc. | e.g., tortoise | e.g., Kinixys erosa | e.g., camera trap |
External links
References
Wildlife Division and PADP II (2010) Ankasa Conservation Area, Management Plan, Ankasa Conservation Area Quarterly reports (Unpublished)
Page completed by: Richard Ofori-Amanfo Date: 14/08/2023