Community resource management and the Mole National Park

Hartebeest in Mole National Park

Situated within the savannah zone of northern Ghana, the Mole National Park is the largest and best known of Ghana’s national parks. It consists of 4840 sq km of open savannah, woodland, forests and swamps and is rich in fauna, with 304 bird, 93 mammal, 33 reptile and 9 amphibian species having been recorded.

The Mole National Park is also under considerable threat. It is bordered by 27 communities which have high poverty levels and few sources of income. The park is affected by hunters and foragers so that its habitats are becoming degraded and its wildlife threatened. Conservation of the park can only be achieved through improving the livelihoods of these village communities through sustainable natural resource utilisation. It has been shown elsewhere in West Africa that improvement in livelihoods, if linked effectively to the forest ecosystem, can provide an incentive for sustainable environmental practices.

A Rocha Ghana is working with the Wildlife Division of the government and representatives from two of these neighbouring communities to create a Community Resource Management Area (CREMA). The objectives are to develop a sustainable system of wildlife resource utilisation and to generate income from natural resources through the introduction of technologies, equipment and training. Education and awareness-raising strategies are designed to encourage the long-term support and participation of the communities. In the programme particular concern is shown to women, who carry out most of the communities’ non-farming activities.

A participating village

The first stage of this initiative has involved a thorough survey of the proposed areas and an assessment of their resource potential. The establishment of good baseline data on the flora and fauna, including species used for bushmeat, and their current utilisation and population trends, are essential for future management plans.

Faunal surveys used kilometre-long transects with a team of three local hunters and two A Rocha team members, recording animals seen as well as their signs. Floral surveys concentrated on species that were economically important for local people. In both surveys, training was given to the local people so that they could replicate these studies in future. Both faunal and floral surveys are ongoing.

These ecological surveys are being complemented with an educational component centring on a booklet for villagers summarising the results of the survey. This will be written in the local dialect and illustrated by local artists. It will describe and highlight the importance of the natural heritage of the area and the park’s natural resources including the significance of eco-tourism. It will also describe the common fauna and outline the measures required for their conservation, including hunting restrictions.

Project leader: Daryl Bosu

Partners: Wilsdorf Foundation, Mole National Park Community Outreach Unit, Wildlife Division (Forestry Commission of Ghana), Netherlands IUCN (NC-IUCN)