2.2
Biodiversity
The methodology employed for the study varied from habitat to habitats and species to species. These methods are briefly described in the following sections.
2.2.1 Rocky Shore Biota
The flora and fauna on the rocky intertidal areas of Butre, Dixcove, Axim, Princess Town, Cape Three Points, and Miamia were assessed qualitatively and semi-quantitatively during periods of
low tide. The species identification was carried out using taxonomic manuals and articles e.g., Edmunds, 1978; John et al., 2003.
2.2.2 Sandy Beach
Quantitatively sampling of intertidal sandy macrobenthic infauna was carried out using a 30 x 30 box corer. Three replicates were taken from each site with the interval between each replicate
location approximately 100 m.
2.2.3 Shorebirds Enumeration
Observations of the shorebirds were made using a Nikon 60 mm, 7-50x zoom binoculars in the mornings 06:30 GMT. The birds were either counted small sized flock or estimated large
flock. The enumeration was done within the 200 m radius and ensured that double counting was avoided. The social activities of the shorebirds were observed at each site. It should be indicated
that each site was visited once.
2.2.3.1 Transect Counts of Terrestrial Birds Terrestrial birds survey in the four study areas was carried out using mainly transect counts and
opportunistic observations. Transect count was carried out along footpaths, trails and other access ways within each of the four study areas. Transects were selected to cover all the
identifiable habitat fragments in each of the four study areas. Counts were usually carried out between 6:00 and 10:00 am and between 3.00 and 5.30 pm when birds were most active and
usually over a transect distance of 3-5 kilometers. Transect count procedure involves slow attentive walks along transects during which any bird seen or heard is identified and recorded.
With the primary purpose of identifying presence of species, no distance limit was set and hence any species seen or heard anywhere in and around any of the study sites was identified and
recorded. Field data for each of the four study areas was complimented with data from existing previous ornithological work. Borrow and Demey 2001 was used as the main reference for
confirming the identity of species encountered.
2.2.4 Terrestrial Vegetation Assessment
