Herpetological survey in the Volta region, Eastern Ghana - Critical ...

Herpetological Survey in the Volta region, Eastern Ghana
Future conservation efforts should encourage all local activities that are likely to
preserve these forests. Additionally all larger remaining forest areas in the Volta region
should be given highest conservation priority and efforts should be considered to link or
buffer smaller forest remnants through reforestation efforts. Given that based on our
assessment amphibian diversity in the eastern part of Ghana might have suffered considerably
by recent forest destruction, it seems pressing to investigate other forests and water catchment
areas in Western and Central Ghana for their remaining amphibian diversity.
11 Acknowledgements
We thank the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) for financial support of this
survey and especially N. Marshall for support and help prior to our tour. We are especially
thankful to N. K. Ankudeh of the Ghana Wildlife Division for permission to work in the Volta
Region wildlife reserves, for collecting permits and CITES certifications. We are very
grateful to L. Ashrifie and J. Mason of the Nature Conservation Research Center in Accra for
logistic support and various other helps. Without that support the whole trip would not have
been possible. Thanks to the Wildlife Division staff and local guides at Kalakpa Game
Production Reserve, Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary, and Kyabobo Range National Park. The
Ghana Wildlife Society provided permission to work in the Afadjato area.
Many thanks for the hospitality of Senior Game Warden L. K. Bahian and his family
at Nkwanta and Mr. M. P. K. Ahwireng and his family and local guides D. Aboagye and E.
Tawia at Apesokubi. We thank Nkwanta paramont chief N. O. Agyei II, Mr. E. B. Ogah and
the elders of Shiare, and local guide Augustine K. Okrah for permissions and assistance while
working at Shiare. Thanks to chief T. Kordjadza and Peace Corps volunteer L. Marbury for
their hospitality at Liati Wote (Tagbo Fall).
We are especially thankful to the Ghana Wildlife Division for logistic support,
research and. We thank M. Abedi-Lartey, J. Decher, A. Ndinke, J. Oppong and M.
Weinbrenner for their accompanying and help, and all other Ghanaians and expatriates that
helped us so much during the survey by either going with us to the field or providing us with
housing opportunities or various other things. J. Rasmussen provided specimens from the
Copenhagen museum for comparison. J. Mudke provided the basic map for figures 1 and 4.
This study is made possible through grants and additional support from Conservation
International and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), Washington, D.C.
12 Literature
AHL, E. (1924a): Über einige afrikanische Frösche. - Zool. Anz., 59/60: 269-273.
AHL, E. (1924b): Neue Reptilien und Batrachier aus dem zoologischen Museum Berlin. - Arch.
Naturgesch., 1924, A: 246-254.
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