The wildlife ofGhana is composed of itsbiodiversity offungi,flora andfauna.
Ghana is home to a significant number offungi species including:Aspergillus flavus;Athelia rolfsii;Auricularia auricula-judae;Curvularia;Fusarium oxysporum;Fusarium solani f.sp.pisi;Gibberella intricans;Gibberella stilboides; andMacrophomina phaseolina.[1] The true total number of fungal species occurring in Ghana is in the thousands and given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7 percent of all fungi worldwide have so far been discovered and that the amount of available information is still very small.[1]
Theflora of Ghana is diverse with both indigenous and introducedfloral species considered in Ghana's floral diversity.[2] A total of some 3,600 species of the major regional centres ofendemism represent the three majortaxonomic groups.[2] Floral diversity is more pronounced among theangiosperms represented with well over 2,974 indigenous and 253 introduced species in Ghana.[3] Among the various vegetation types of thetropical rain forest, it is the wetevergreen forest type in the southwesternAshanti-KwahuPlain that exhibits the highest level of endemism and species richness in Ghana.[3]
Flora species diversity andendemism in thesavannabiomes in Ghana is very sparse andbiological diversity of species in the Ghanaian savannawoodlands andgallery forests of the savannas show greater species richness than the dry savannas.[3] Within Ghana, there are areas of high biological diversity, referred to as prime biological locations; such as theAnkasa andNini-SuhienConservation Area in the southwestern Ashanti-Kwahu ereaterrestrial plain of Ghana, in where the climatic diversity is greater.[3] There are alsoEncephalartos barteri, andgymnosperm indigenous to Ghana; others growing in various Ghanaianecological zones are introduced species for purposes including aesthetics and economic.[3] The thirdtaxonomic group;pteridophytes, is well represented in Ghana with 124 known species.[3]
Ghana has a vast array of fauna and they are of great significance, as some of Ghana's fauna have attained conservation status because of the current rate of decline in their number and distribution.[4] The fauna of the Ghanaian terrestrialecosystem, comprise a diverse array of species including several of conservation concern.[4] Ghanaian records show that there is as many as 221 species ofamphibians andreptiles, 724 species of birds, 225mammalian species inhabiting Ghana; with 93 recorded to be inhabiting the Ghanaiansavanna ecological zone.[4] As with floral diversity, prime locations for faunal diversity is located in the Ghanaian high forest uplands; accounting for 83% of the total number of butterfly species recorded in Ghana, wherecanopy stratification andmicro-climatic differentiation have provided habitats and niches for specific faunal organisms.[4]
Endemism among Ghanaian terrestrial fauna has been observed in three species offrogs;Hyperolius baumanni;Hyperolius fusciventris; andHyperolius sylvaticus; and thelizards; andAgama sylvanus found in the Ghanaian Bia Forest Reserve and the Atwema RangeForest Reserve.[4] Ghana has a high degree ofbutterfly endemism where more than 20 species are classified endemic or near-endemic.[4] Ghana is home to 84 knownamphibian species: 78 frogs, 5toads andcaecilians.[4] Threatened species recorded in Ghana include four species ofmarine turtles and three species ofcrocodiles.[4] Bird species of conservation concern include seven threatened species, including four species endemic to theUpper Guinea forest block and seven near-threatened species.[4]
Keystone species such ashornbills,parrots andbirds of prey (eagles) are well represented in Ghana.[4] Of the 728 birds species confirmed to be occurring in Ghana; 408 are non-passerines and 320passerines, of which 498 are known or thought to be resident and 176 are regular seasonalbird migrants, including 100 from thePalearctic realm.[4] Of the total number of species occurring; 180 restricted to the Guinea-Congoforestsbiome and 37 restricted to the Sudan-Guineasavanna biome have been recorded in Ghana.[4] Eleven of the 15 endemic bird species within the Upper Guinea forest occur in Ghana.[5] Six of the total species are considered threatened and 12 are near-threatened.[5]
Ghana is an important country for dozens ofvulnerable,threatened,endangered,critically endangered or near-extinct mammalian species including theprimatescommon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) andwestern red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), thebig catslion (Panthera leo) andleopard (Panthera pardus),African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), andwater-birds, being located on the boundary of the east Atlantic Ocean Flyway and Mediterranean Flyway. There are also several rare terrestrial birds, such as thewhite-necked rockfowl (Picathartes gymnocephalus).[6]
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