Mole National Park
Encyclopedia
Mole National Park is Ghana
's largest wildlife refuge
. The park is located in northwest Ghana on grassland
savanna and riparian ecosystems at an elevation of 150 m, with sharp escarpment
forming the southern boundary of the park. The park's entrance is reached through the nearby town of Larabanga
. The Lovi and Mole Rivers are ephemeral rivers flowing through the park, leaving behind only drinking holes during the long dry season. This area of Ghana receives over 1000 mm per year of rain
fall. A long-term study has been done on Mole National Park to understand the impact of human hunters on the animals in the preserve.
The park is an important study area for scientists because of the removal of the human population from within the park allowing for some long-term studies, in particular, of relatively undisturbed sites compared to similar areas of densely populated equatorial West Africa. One study on the resident population of 800 elephants, for example, indicates that elephant damage to large trees varies with species. In Mole, elephants have a greater tendency to seriously injure economically important species such as Burkea africana, an important tropical hardwood, and Butyrospermum paradoxum, the source of shea butter
, over the less important Terminalia spp.
Tree species of the park include Burkea africana
, Isoberlinia doka
, and Terminalia macroptera. The savanna grasses are somewhat low in diversity but known species include a spikesedge
, Kyllinga echinata, an Aneilema
, Aneilema setiferum var. pallidiciliatum, and two endemic members of the Asclepiadaceae
subfamily, the vine Gongronema obscurum, and the edible geophyte, Raphionacme vignei.
Trees:
Shrubs:
Herbaceous plants:
Grasslands:
population, hippo
s, buffalo
, and warthog
s. The park is considered a primary African preserve for antelope species including kob
, Defassa waterbuck, roan
, hartebeest
, oribi
, the bushbuck
, and two duiker
s, the red duiker
and yellow-backed Duiker
. Olive baboon
s, black-and-white colobus
monkeys, the green vervet
, and patas monkey
s are the known species of monkeys resident in the park. Of the 33 known species of reptiles slender-snouted
and dwarf crocodile
are found in the park. Sightings of hyena
s, lion
s and leopard
s are unusual, but these carnivore
s were once more common in the park. Among the 344 listed bird species are the martial eagle
, the white-headed
and palm-nut vultures
, saddle-billed stork
s, heron
s, egret
s, the Abyssinian roller
, the violet turaco
, various shrike
s and the red-throated bee-eater
.
Mole National Park, like other Ghanaian game preserves, is poorly funded for prevention of poaching
. Poachers tend to live within 50 km of the boundaries of the park. This distance of 50 km is the reported greatest distance hunters were willing to travel with poached game. The remnant human population of the park was removed in 1961, leaving all game hunters outside the reserve, meaning that mammal populations on the edges of the park are impacted more by hunting than interior populations.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
's largest wildlife refuge
Wildlife refuge
A wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...
. The park is located in northwest Ghana on grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
savanna and riparian ecosystems at an elevation of 150 m, with sharp escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
forming the southern boundary of the park. The park's entrance is reached through the nearby town of Larabanga
Larabanga
Larabanga is a town in north western Ghana. It is known for its mud-built whitewashed Sahelian mosque, said to date from 1421. It was at the height of the trans-Saharan trade...
. The Lovi and Mole Rivers are ephemeral rivers flowing through the park, leaving behind only drinking holes during the long dry season. This area of Ghana receives over 1000 mm per year of rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
fall. A long-term study has been done on Mole National Park to understand the impact of human hunters on the animals in the preserve.
History
The park's lands were set aside as a wildlife refuge in 1958. In 1971 the small human population of the area was relocated and the lands were designated a national park. The park has not seen major development as a tourist location since its original designation. The park as a protective area is underfunded and national and international concerns exist about poaching and sustainability in the park, but its protection of important resident antelope species has improved since its initial founding as a preserve.The park is an important study area for scientists because of the removal of the human population from within the park allowing for some long-term studies, in particular, of relatively undisturbed sites compared to similar areas of densely populated equatorial West Africa. One study on the resident population of 800 elephants, for example, indicates that elephant damage to large trees varies with species. In Mole, elephants have a greater tendency to seriously injure economically important species such as Burkea africana, an important tropical hardwood, and Butyrospermum paradoxum, the source of shea butter
Shea butter
Shea butter is a slightly yellowish or ivory-colored fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree . It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer, salve or lotion. Shea butter is edible and may be used in food preparation...
, over the less important Terminalia spp.
Flora
Burkea africana
Burkea africana Hook. f. is a deciduous, medium-sized, spreading, flat-topped tree belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae.Widespread in tropical Africa, it is found in Chad, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Zaire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali,...
, Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka
Isoberlinia doka is a hardwood tree native to African tropical savannas and Guinean forest-savanna mosaic dry forests where it can form single species stands. The tree is exploited for its economic value as a commercial timber. The leaves and shoots of the tree dominate the diet of the Giant...
, and Terminalia macroptera. The savanna grasses are somewhat low in diversity but known species include a spikesedge
Kyllinga
Kyllinga is genus of flowering plants in the sedge family known commonly as spikesedges. They are native to tropical and warm temperate areas of the world, especially tropical Africa. These sedges vary in morphology, growing to heights from 2 centimeters to a meter and sometimes lacking rhizomes...
, Kyllinga echinata, an Aneilema
Aneilema
Aneilema is a genus of plant in family Commelinaceae. It contains the following species:List may be incomplete.* Aneilema aequinoctiale, P.Beauv.* Aneilema silvaticum, Brenan* Aneilema biflorum, R.Br.* Aneilema acuminatum...
, Aneilema setiferum var. pallidiciliatum, and two endemic members of the Asclepiadaceae
Asclepiadaceae
According to APG II, the Asclepiadaceae is a former plant family now treated as a subfamily in the Apocynaceae...
subfamily, the vine Gongronema obscurum, and the edible geophyte, Raphionacme vignei.
Trees:
- Adansonia digitataAdansonia digitataAdansonia digitata is the most widespread of the Adansonia species on the African continent, found in the hot, dry savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa. It also grows, having spread secondary to cultivation, in populated areas...
- Afzelia africanaAfzelia africanaAfzelia africana is a tree species in the Fabaceae family. It occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan,...
- Anogeissus leiocarpusAnogeissus leiocarpusAnogeissus leiocarpa is a tall evergreen tree native to savannas of Tropical Africa. It is the sole West African species of the genus Anogeissus, a genus otherwise distributed from tropical central and east Africa through tropical Southeast Asia. A...
- Afraegle paniculata
- Burkea africanaBurkea africanaBurkea africana Hook. f. is a deciduous, medium-sized, spreading, flat-topped tree belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae.Widespread in tropical Africa, it is found in Chad, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Zaire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali,...
- Butyrospermum paradoxum
- Cassia sieberana
- Celastrus senegalensis
- Combretum ghasalenseCombretumThe bushwillows or combretums, Combretum, make up the type genus of the family Combretaceae. The genus comprises about 370 species of trees and shrubs, roughly 300 of which are native to tropical and southern Africa, about 5 to Madagascar, some 25 to tropical Asia and approximately 40 to tropical...
- Detarium microcarpumDetariumDetarium is a plant genus of the family Fabaceae . It contains 3 species of tree in west African forests.The genus produces timber that may serve as a mahogany substitute. The fruit is edible.-References :...
- Grewia lasiodiscusGrewiaThe large flowering plant genus Grewia is today placed by most authors in the mallow family Malvaceae, in the expanded sense as proposed by in the APG. Formerly, it was placed in either the linden family or the Sparrmanniaceae...
- Grewia mollisGrewiaThe large flowering plant genus Grewia is today placed by most authors in the mallow family Malvaceae, in the expanded sense as proposed by in the APG. Formerly, it was placed in either the linden family or the Sparrmanniaceae...
- Lannea acidaLanneaLannea is a genus of plant in family Anacardiaceae.Species include:* Lannea acida* Lannea acidissima L. A.Chev.* Lannea alata* Lannea acuminata* Lannea afzelii* Lannea amaniensis* Lannea ambacensis* Lannea ambigua...
- Maytenus senegalensis
- Piliostigma thonningiiPiliostigmaPiliostigma is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae....
- Pterocarpus erinaceusPterocarpus erinaceusThe tree Pterocarpus erinaceus is native to Sahelian region of West Africa and is used for fuel wood, for medicinal purposes, as a woodworking material, and that is useful as a nitrogen-fixing plant that helps to improve nutrient-depleted farming land...
- Sterculia setigeraSterculiaSterculia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It was previously placed in the now obsolete Sterculiaceae. Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts...
- Tamarindus indica
- TerminaliaTerminalia (plant)Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets it name from Latin terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.Trees of this genus...
spp., including T. avicennioidesTerminalia avicennioidesTerminalia avicennioides is a tree species in the genus Terminalia found in West Africa.Castalagin and Flavogallonic acid dilactone are hydrolysable tannins found in T. avicennoides.-See also:... - Ximenia americanaXimenia americanaXimenia americana, commonly known as Yellow Plum or Sea Lemon, is a small sprawling tree of woodlands native to Australia and Asia....
Shrubs:
- Diospyros mespiliformis
- Feretia apodanthera
- Flueggea virosa
- Tinnsea spp.
- Urginea spp.
Herbaceous plants:
- Abutilon ramosum
- Aneilema umbrosumAneilemaAneilema is a genus of plant in family Commelinaceae. It contains the following species:List may be incomplete.* Aneilema aequinoctiale, P.Beauv.* Aneilema silvaticum, Brenan* Aneilema biflorum, R.Br.* Aneilema acuminatum...
- Atylosia scarabaeoides
- Blepharis maderaspatensisBlepharisBlepharis is a genus of plant in family Acanthaceae. It contains the following species :* Blepharis attenuata Napper* Blepharis ciliaris* Blepharis crinita Juss.* Blepharis dhofarensis, A.G.Mill....
- Desmodium velutinumDesmodiumDesmodium is a genus in the flowering plant family Fabaceae, sometimes called tick-trefoil, tick clover or beggar lice. There are dozens of species and the delimitation of the genus has shifted much over time....
- Mariscus alternifolius
- RuelliaRuelliaRuellia is a genus of flowering plants. Commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias, they are not closely related to petunias . Both genera belong to the same euasterid clade, however...
- Sida urens
- Triumfetta pentandra
- Wissadula amplissimaWissadulaWissadula is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It contains25 to 30 species of herbs and subshrubs that are mostly native to the neotropics, with several in tropical Asia and Africa. The name is derived from the Sinhala language.- Selected species :* Wissadula amplissima ...
Grasslands:
- AndropogonAndropogonAndropogon is a genus of grasses. Andropogon gerardii, big bluestem, is the official state grass of Illinois.Broomsedge is found along the eastern United States...
spp., including Andropogon gayanus var. squamulatus (a tall grass) - BrachiariaBrachiariaBrachiaria is a genus of grasses originating from savannas of eastern Africa. These grasses are widely used as livestock forage. This genus includes 97 species, which can be found in tropical and subtropical climates, in both hemispheres, mostly in Africa and the Americas1...
spp. - Loudetiopsis kerstingiiLoudetiopsisLoudetiopsis is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.-External links:*...
- Sporobolus pyramidalisSporobolusSporobolus is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. They are usually called dropseed grasses or sacaton grasses. They are typical prairie and savanna plants, and they occur in other types of open habitat in warmer climates....
(only in protected areas) - Setaria barbataSetariaSetaria is a genus of grasses in the Poaceae family.-Selected species:* Setaria cernua Kunth* Setaria dielsii R.A.W.Herrm.* Setaria faberi R.A.W.Herrm.* Setaria incrassata Hack. – Vlei Bristle Grass...
(only in protected areas)
Fauna
The park is home to over 93 mammal species, and the large mammals of the park include an elephantElephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
population, hippo
Hippo
A hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water:* Hippopotamus* Pygmy HippopotamusHippo may also refer to:-Given names:...
s, buffalo
Water buffalo
The water buffalo is a domesticated bovid widely kept in Asia, Europe and South America.Water buffalo can also refer to:*Wild water buffalo , the wild ancestor of the domestic water buffalo...
, and warthog
Warthog
The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...
s. The park is considered a primary African preserve for antelope species including kob
Kob
The Kob is an antelope found across Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to South Sudan. Found along the Northern Savanna, often seen in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda; Garamba and Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as grassy floodplains of...
, Defassa waterbuck, roan
Roan Antelope
The Roan Antelope is a savanna antelope found in West, Central, East Africa and Southern Africa.Roan Antelope stand about a metre and half at the shoulder and weigh around 250 kilograms. Named for the "roan' colour , they have a lighter underbelly, white eyebrows and cheeks and a black face,...
, hartebeest
Hartebeest
The hartebeest is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. It is one of the three species classified in the genus Alcelaphus....
, oribi
Oribi
Oribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...
, the bushbuck
Bushbuck
The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is found in rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaics and bush savannaforest and woodland. Recently, genetic studies have shown that the bushbuck, is in fact a complex of two geographically and phenotypically...
, and two duiker
Duiker
A duiker is any of about 21 small to medium-sized antelope species from the subfamily Cephalophinae native to Sub-Saharan Africa.Duikers are shy and elusive creatures with a fondness for dense cover; most are forest dwellers and even the species living in more open areas are quick to disappear...
s, the red duiker
Ogilby's Duiker
Ogilby's Duiker , is a small antelope found in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, southeastern Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea's Bioko Island, and, possibly, Gabon...
and yellow-backed Duiker
Yellow-backed Duiker
The Yellow-backed Duiker , is an antelope found in central and western Africa. They have the widest range of any duiker in the genus Cephalophus....
. Olive baboon
Olive Baboon
The olive baboon , also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae . The species is the most widely spread of all baboons: it is found in 25 countries throughout Africa, extending south from Mali to Ethiopia and to Tanzania. Isolated populations are also found in some...
s, black-and-white colobus
Black-and-white colobus
Black-and-white colobuses are Old World monkeys of the genus Colobus, native to Africa. They are closely related to the brown colobus monkeys of genus Piliocolobus. The word "colobus" comes from Greek κολοβός kolobós , and is so named because its thumb is a stump.Colobuses are herbivorous, eating...
monkeys, the green vervet
Chlorocebus
Chlorocebus is a genus of medium-sized primates from the family of Old World monkeys. There are six species currently recognized, although some classify them all as a single species with numerous subspecies...
, and patas monkey
Patas Monkey
The patas monkey , also known as the Wadi monkey or Hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. It is the only species classified in the genus Erythrocebus...
s are the known species of monkeys resident in the park. Of the 33 known species of reptiles slender-snouted
Slender-snouted Crocodile
The African Slender-snouted Crocodile is a species of crocodile. Recent studies in DNA and morphology suggest that it may belong in its own genus, Mecistops, but at present most continue to use Crocodylus for this species.African Slender-snouted Crocodile are native to freshwater habitats in...
and dwarf crocodile
Dwarf Crocodile
The dwarf crocodile is an African species of crocodile. It is also the smallest extant crocodile species in the world. Recent sampling has identified three genetically distinct populations...
are found in the park. Sightings of hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
s, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s and leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s are unusual, but these carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
s were once more common in the park. Among the 344 listed bird species are the martial eagle
Martial Eagle
The Martial Eagle , is a very large eagle found in open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus.-Description:...
, the white-headed
White-headed Vulture
The White-headed Vulture is an Old World vulture endemic to Africa. It has a pink beak and a white crest, and the featherless areas on its head are pale. Its has dark brown upper parts and black tail feathers. The feathers on its lower parts and legs are white. It has a wing span of 2 m and spends...
and palm-nut vultures
Palm-nut Vulture
The Palm-nut Vulture or Vulturine Fish Eagle, is a very large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers, vultures, and eagles. It is the only member of the genus Gypohierax...
, saddle-billed stork
Saddle-billed Stork
The Saddle-billed Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa.This is a close...
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s, egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s, the Abyssinian roller
Abyssinian Roller
The Abyssinian Roller, Coracias abyssinicus, is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa in a belt south of the Sahara, known as the Sahel...
, the violet turaco
Violet Turaco
The Violet Turaco is a large turaco, a group of African near-passerines. It is a resident breeder in the forests of tropical west Africa. It lays two eggs in a tree platform nest....
, various shrike
Shrike
Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of thirty-one species in three genera. The family name, and that of the largest genus, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes were also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits...
s and the red-throated bee-eater
Red-throated Bee-eater
The Red-throated Bee-eater is a species of bird in the Meropidae family.This species has a large range, and is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania,...
.
Mole National Park, like other Ghanaian game preserves, is poorly funded for prevention of poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
. Poachers tend to live within 50 km of the boundaries of the park. This distance of 50 km is the reported greatest distance hunters were willing to travel with poached game. The remnant human population of the park was removed in 1961, leaving all game hunters outside the reserve, meaning that mammal populations on the edges of the park are impacted more by hunting than interior populations.