An elephant survey was conducted in the Bia-Goaso Forest Block in western Ghana during the wet season month of November 2012 to determine the distribution of elephants and assess the human and ecological variables that affect them. One hundred and thirty 1-kilometre transects were systematically distributed in three strata (high, medium, and low density) based on elephant dung pile density recorded in an initial reconnaissance. Elephant activity was concentrated in southern and mid-Bia Conservation Area, the southern tip of Bia North Forest Reserve, and eastern Mpameso Forest Reserve towards the adjoining Bia Shelter belt, indicating a clumped distribution. Secondary forest, water availability, poaching activity, and proximity to roads and settlements explained a high proportion of variance in elephant distribution. Given that the Bia-Goaso Forest Block forms an important biogeographic corridor between Ghana and Cote d&#x2019;Ivoire, more effort should be directed at mitigating the problems such as poaching activity, vehicular traffic, and impacts of settlements that hinder seasonal movements of forest elephants between western Ghana and eastern Cote d&#x2019;Ivoire.

Emmanuel Danquah

Spatial Distribution of Elephants versus Human and Ecological Variables in Western Ghana

Biodiversity erosion particularly in developing countries is a matter of great concern to the global ecological community. Species composition and regeneration indicate the health of forest. This study explored tree species composition and regeneration of natural hill forest of Shitalpur under Chittagong North Forest Division through 27 sample plots of 20&#x2009;m &#xd7; 20&#x2009;m for trees and 2&#x2009;m &#xd7; 2&#x2009;m for regeneration. A total of 47 tree species belonging to 29 families and 17 regenerating species belonging to 15 families were recorded. The tree stem density, basal area, and wood volume were 0.49&#x2009;m<sup>2</sup>/ha, 1425 stem/ha, and 189.9&#x2009;m<sup>3</sup>/ha, respectively. Mean regeneration was significantly higher in bottom hill (14374&#x2009;seedlings/ha) compared to top hill (9671&#x2009;seedlings/ha).<i> Toona ciliata</i> was highest (4444&#x2009;seedlings/ha) at the bottom hill compared to other hill positions. The result shows that only 36&#x25; of the tree species (17 out of 47) are regenerating in the study area, meaning majority of the tree species (64&#x25;) are not getting favorable conditions to regenerate. This might be due to absence of mature tree species as a result of overexploitation by local people. The findings may help in monitoring the species composition changes over time and adopting specific conservation programs for Shitalpur Forest.

Asadozzaman Nur

Rajasree Nandi

Mohammed Jashimuddin

Mohammed Akhter Hossain

Tree Species Composition and Regeneration Status of Shitalpur Forest Beat under Chittagong North Forest Division, Bangladesh

Most ecosystem services are regarded as free goods (i.e., priceless). This paper estimates monetary value of the ecosystem services after renaturalizing the navigation channel in the Kreetsand’s area along the tidal section of the Elbe River. The river channel is basically reconnected to its floodplain which is currently grassland. The paper used benefit transfer method whereby values from previous studies are adopted to estimate total economic value of the ecosystem services provided by the study area. The results show that total economic value of the ecosystem services flow at the Kreetsand’s shallow water area is <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2716398pt" id="M1" height="8.61394pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.3423 7.58963 8.61394" width="7.58963pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M511 143C472 73 431 24 356 24C258 24 191 105 172 254H456L469 290H168C166 310 167 328 169 352H487L500 388H173C192 513 257 601 359 601C442 601 475 557 498 481L525 488C519 529 514 571 508 611C485 617 433 636 374 636C225 636 114 540 84 388H43L30 352H78C76 329 74 308 75 290H20L7 254H78C95 103 185 -13 350 -12C401 -12 468 5 490 13C505 38 526 94 537 131L511 143Z"/></g></svg>0.83 million/year. Nevertheless, the value seems to be underestimated due to errors inherited during valuation. After 44 years, the value will accumulate to <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2716398pt" id="M2" height="8.61394pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.3423 7.58963 8.61394" width="7.58963pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M511 143C472 73 431 24 356 24C258 24 191 105 172 254H456L469 290H168C166 310 167 328 169 352H487L500 388H173C192 513 257 601 359 601C442 601 475 557 498 481L525 488C519 529 514 571 508 611C485 617 433 636 374 636C225 636 114 540 84 388H43L30 352H78C76 329 74 308 75 290H20L7 254H78C95 103 185 -13 350 -12C401 -12 468 5 490 13C505 38 526 94 537 131L511 143Z"/></g></svg>36.5 million, which is equal to the project investment cost estimated to be around <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2716398pt" id="M3" height="8.61394pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.3423 7.58963 8.61394" width="7.58963pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M511 143C472 73 431 24 356 24C258 24 191 105 172 254H456L469 290H168C166 310 167 328 169 352H487L500 388H173C192 513 257 601 359 601C442 601 475 557 498 481L525 488C519 529 514 571 508 611C485 617 433 636 374 636C225 636 114 540 84 388H43L30 352H78C76 329 74 308 75 290H20L7 254H78C95 103 185 -13 350 -12C401 -12 468 5 490 13C505 38 526 94 537 131L511 143Z"/></g></svg>36.6 million. Based on the cost-benefit analysis results for the project, it is concluded that river renaturalization is the best option because it increases ecosystem services flow. The paper recommends that a similar study should be conducted to include more ecosystem services and ecosystem goods such as fish and water used for industrial purposes.

H. O. Mangi

Estimation of Monetary Values of the Ecosystem Services Flow at the Tidal Elbe River

This study investigated butterfly diversity in the protected area (PA) and unprotected area (UPA) of Ise Forest reserve, Ise Ekiti, Ekiti State, using sweep net along existing trails. Butterfly species seen in the study sites were captured and released after proper identification was made. The results indicated that a total of 837 butterflies were identified in the study sites with 661 species observed in PA and 176 species in UPA. Butterfly species diversity was significantly different (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42938pt" id="M1" height="11.7782pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 44.5261 11.7782" width="44.5261pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g113-113" d="M570 304C570 398 525 448 414 448C385 448 343 445 312 434L329 511L321 518C297 504 262 482 244 460L233 411C195 397 159 381 128 358L135 332C160 347 189 360 224 373L111 -147C97 -210 84 -218 17 -231L13 -257L254 -247L259 -218L233 -216C183 -212 177 -202 189 -142L218 -1C238 -10 266 -12 283 -12C351 3 429 48 483 105C543 168 570 242 570 304ZM482 289C482 161 380 33 304 33C278 33 248 51 233 69L303 396C326 400 352 403 369 403C428 403 482 380 482 289Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.342,0)"><path id="g117-93" d="M531 71V127L115 310L531 494V550L57 335V285L531 71ZM531 -40V10H57V-40H531Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.605,0)"><path id="g113-49" d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.845,0)"><path id="g113-47" d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.809,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.049,0)"><path id="g113-54" d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z"/></g></svg>) between PA and UPA. Shannon diversity index was higher in PA (3.59) than UPA (3.27) as against Menhinick’s index, higher in UPA (2.11) than in PA (1.52). Likewise, 10 families of butterflies were recorded in PA and 8 families in UPA. The family with highest species occurrence was Satyridae (17.9%) in PA and Lycaenidae in UPA with 20.1%. Butterfly families’ diversity was not significant (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.42938pt" id="M2" height="11.7782pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 44.5261 11.7782" width="44.5261pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-113"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.342,0)"><path id="g117-94" d="M531 285V335L57 550V494L473 310L57 127V71L531 285ZM531 -40V10H57V-40H531Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.605,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.845,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-47"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.809,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.049,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-54"/></g></svg>) between the two study sites. Ise Forest Reserve recorded approximately 6.6% of all butterflies recorded in West Africa. The findings indicated that mature secondary and regenerated forests supported high butterfly diversity and species richness, while cultivated land and grassland had a negative impact on butterfly community suggesting the negative effect of agricultural activities on the ecosystem. 

Jacob Olufemi Orimaye

Olumide Odunayo Ogunyemi

Ehi Francis Okosodo

Victor Abiodun Ojo

Tejumola Olayinka Agbelusi

Butterfly Species Diversity in Protected and Unprotected Habitat of Ise Forest Reserve, Ise Ekiti, Ekiti State

Flood currents (tidal pumping) have led to the increase of transportation of sediments to the river&#x2019;s upper estuary. In the tidal section of the Elbe River, more sediment is transported to the upper estuary with flood currents (tidal pumping) related to tidal asymmetry. This process contributes, amongst others, to dredging in order to obtain the water depth required for navigation safety. Cognizant of the above problems, construction of shallow water area is planned in order to reduce tidal asymmetry while improving ecological integrity at the tidal Elbe areas. The study on which this paper is based was conducted to assess ecological integrity and ecosystem services before and after the shallow water creation. Habitat identification and quality ranking were conducted for current habitat, while model habitats representing future state (after shallow water creation) were designed using HEC-RAS model simulation. The assessment matrix was used to assess ecological integrity and ecosystem services provisioning of the study area&#x2019;s habitats before and after the shallow water creation, using potential indicators. Results indicate that there is increase in the ecological integrity after the project implementation. Based on the above explanation, it can be concluded that the measure will increase the flow of ecosystem services after its implementation.

Tide Management in the Elbe River and Changes in Ecosystem Services

Different plant species have different capacity of carbon sequestration but it is not assessed yet in Nepal. Therefore, this study was done to assess the species-wise carbon sequestration in two periods in forests. Three collaborative and three community forests were selected for the study. The selected forests were surveyed using GPS and mapped and stratified into tree, pole, and regeneration. Specifically 32, 33, and 31 samples were collected from Banke-Maraha, Tuteshwarnath, and Gadhanta-Bardibash collaborative forests, respectively, while 30, 25, and 22 samples were collected from Chureparwati, Buddha, and Chyandanda community forests correspondingly. The sample plots were of 25 m <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.3499303pt" id="M1" height="7.35473pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -7.0048 7.75925 7.35473" width="7.75925pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g117-42" d="M528 54L331 254L528 455L492 493L294 291L96 493L60 455L257 254L60 54L96 16L294 217L492 16L528 54Z"/></g></svg> 20 m for tree strata. The diameter and height of plants were measured and samples were collected for three consecutive years. The estimated carbon stock of<i> Shorea robusta</i> was the highest 35.93 t ha<sup>−1</sup> in 2011 which was slightly decreased to 34.43 t ha<sup>−1</sup> in 2012 and reached 32.02 t ha<sup>−1</sup> in 2013 in Banke-Maraha collaborative forest but it was the least 7.97, 8.92, and 10.29 t ha<sup>−1</sup> in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively, in Chyandanda community forest. The highest carbon sequestration was recorded about 5.02 t ha<sup>−1</sup> of<i> Shorea robusta</i> in Chyandanda community forest in between t<sub>2013</sub> and t<sub>2012</sub>. 

Ram Asheshwar Mandal

Pramod Kumar Jha

Ishwar Chandra Dutta

Utsab Thapa

Siddhi Bir Karmacharya

Carbon Sequestration in Tropical and Subtropical Plant Species in Collaborative and Community Forests of Nepal

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can be important mutualists to plant hosts in acquiring soil nutrients. Past work has not explored whether previous land-cover history influences current AMF abundance in croplands and whether different land-cover histories in grazed but not cultivated areas influence AMF. This study was conducted to assess the effects of land-cover history in and near Serengeti National Park on AMF abundance in areas with three different land uses. The results showed that land-cover history influenced a number of soil physicochemical properties following conversion of grassland to cropland or woodland to cropland during the past 27 years. Different original land cover generally did not significantly influence current AMF abundance in croplands or livestock-grazed soils. However, livestock-grazed current grasslands that were formerly woodlands had lower AMF abundance than sites that had been grasslands since 1984. These results suggest that lower AMF abundance in livestock-grazed and cropland areas as compared to protected wildlife-grazed areas may reflect reduced total carbon inputs and higher disturbance and are not strongly influenced by the legacy of previous land cover. Given that recent studies have detected legacy effects on AMF, such effects may reflect more the impact on the taxonomic composition of AMF rather than their total abundance.

Geofrey E. Soka

Mark E. Ritchie

Land-Cover Legacy Effects on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Abundance in Human and Wildlife Dominated Systems in Tropical Savanna

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Advances in Ecology