Diversity and Abundance of Butterfly Species in the Abiriw and Odumante Sacred Groves in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Sacred groves in Ghana have been adopted as one of the strategies to mitigate the loss of biodiversity. They are seriously under threat from anthropogenic activities. A six month survey of the butterfly fauna in the Abiriw and Odumante sacred groves in the Akwapim North and South Districts, respectively of the Eastern Region of Ghana was conducted to characterize resident butterfly species diversity and abundance. The transect count method and charaxes traps were used to sample the butterflies. Analysis of butterfly diversity in these groves, which range in size from 400 m2 to 250 m2, was used to evaluate their effectiveness in achieving conservation objectives. Community diversity was characterized in terms of, (a) number of species accumulated versus sampling effort, (b) nonparametric richness estimates, (c) Simpson’s and Shannon-Weiner Indices of Diversity, and (d) Complementarity of communities. A total of 1169 individual butterflies were trapped across all sites representing 89 species from 10 families. Butterfly species richness and evenness in the Abiriw grove was higher than that of the Odumante grove, however, the Abiriw grove harboured a resident community that was not distinctive from the Odumante grove. These findings add to the body of knowledge that indicates that large groves are the foundation of successful conservation programs. Nonetheless, it was observed that both groves harbour a number of species that appear vulnerable to dynamics of forest fragmentation based on changes in their relative abundance across sites. The findings are discussed in the context of potential indicator species and theoretical predictions of at-risk species.