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Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana

A thesis submitted to the Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science.

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Main Author: Opare Addo, Yaw Michael
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2014
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access_status_str Open Access
author Opare Addo, Yaw Michael
author_browse Opare Addo, Yaw Michael
author_facet Opare Addo, Yaw Michael
author_sort Opare Addo, Yaw Michael
collection Thesis
description A thesis submitted to the Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science.
format Thesis
id oai:ir.knust.edu.gh:123456789/6645
institution KNUST (Ghana)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:31:23.640Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from KNUSTSpace — Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Ghana)
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
publishDateSort 2014
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source_str KNUSTSpace — Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Ghana)
spelling oai:ir.knust.edu.gh:123456789/6645 Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana Opare Addo, Yaw Michael A thesis submitted to the Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science. Biodiversity in all forms sustains tremendous socio-economic and cultural interests of millions of people all over the world. Increasing human population has resulted in proportional increase in the demand for natural resources for the sustenance of human development needs. It is based on this, that the study was conducted in the Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) within the Tano-Offin forest reserve. The aim of the study was to assess the extent of human activities and its effects on the tree community in the GSBA, with specific objectives of measuring the quantum of human activities occurring in the GSBA, examine the effect of unwanted human activities on tree species richness, abundance and diversity in the GSBA, and also examine the impact of the unwanted human activities on tree species composition, basal area and relative dominance. The area was stratified into two, thus, disturbed and undisturbed areas. In each of the stratified areas, a total of 5km transects were established. On the transects, 20m x 20m plots were laid at every 200m, for 5km. The disturbed area was identified by unwanted human activities such as farming, chainsawing and charcoal production. Trees were enumerated at both areas. Moving in clockwise direction within a plot, all trees with diameter at breast height (1.3m from the ground) equal to or greater than 10cm (≥ 10cm dbh), were identified, measured and recorded. The diameter at breast height of each sampled tree was measured over bark with diameter tape. The mean number of trees identified and recorded in the areas affected by unwanted humans activities was 12.8 (SD=4.2, N = 25), while that of the undisturbed areas was 20.1 (SD=4.3, N=25), Mann- Whitney test shows that there was significant difference between the trees found in the disturbed and the undisturbed areas at p< 0.05 (U = 80, p = 6.749E-6). Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index indicates that the diversity of trees in the areas affected by illegal activities was 3.164 and that of the undisturbed areas was 3.194. The t-test shows that the diversity of trees in both areas were not significantly different (t =1.7985, p = 0.072674). KNUST 2014-10-23T12:13:59Z 2023-04-20T19:14:45Z 2014-10-23T12:13:59Z 2023-04-20T19:14:45Z 2014-10-23 Thesis https://ir.knust.edu.gh/handle/123456789/6645 en application/pdf
spellingShingle Opare Addo, Yaw Michael
Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana
title Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana
title_full Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana
title_fullStr Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana
title_short Assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in Tano Offin globally significant biodiversity area (GSBA) in the Nkawie Forest District, Ghana
title_sort assessment of illegal forest activities on plant diversity in tano offin globally significant biodiversity area gsba in the nkawie forest district ghana
url https://ir.knust.edu.gh/handle/123456789/6645
work_keys_str_mv AT opareaddoyawmichael assessmentofillegalforestactivitiesonplantdiversityintanooffingloballysignificantbiodiversityareagsbainthenkawieforestdistrictghana