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Lack of Sustainable Livelihood - A
Major Threat to Wildlife Conservation
A GNA Feature by Samuel Adadi Akapule
Bolgatanga, July 19, GNA - Wildlife migration between the
Mole National Park at Damongo and the Nazinga Game Ranch
(Western Corridors) in neighbouring Burkina Faso, in an area
extending from the National Park Kabore Tambi through some
forest reserves in North Eastern Ghana to the Northern
Boarder of Ghana and Togo (Eastern Corridors) are being
threatened by human activities as a result of the lack of
sustainable livelihood.
The Eastern and Western Corridors constitute a large cross
border biological diversity conservation area in West
Africa, but for many decades now their biologic, economic
and cultural potentialities are progressively eroded by
rural poverty, especially by the non- sustainable
exploitation of natural resource. The lack of livelihood in
many communities in the corridors is a major threat to the
wildlife and a major cause of environmental degradation.
Communities in the corridors are among the poorest in Ghana
both geographically and occupation wise. Most of the
inhabitants are food crop producers and rural by location.
These communities mainly derive their livelihood from
agriculture, hunting and charcoal production thus depleting
the forest and rendering wildlife and other species
homeless.
A classic example is that apart from the Sissili River
basin, suitable farming area is a major constraint to
agriculture and for that matter the livelihood of the people
living in the area. As a result, game hunting and charcoal
production have become the most important income-generating
venture for the people.
Destructive activities of wildlife, especially elephants are
a frequent occurrence in the area. The implication is that
unless farmers are made to know the tangible benefits from
the development of the Corridors and forest conservation, it
would be difficult if not impossible for them to participate
in forest conservation activities.
There is, therefore, the need to put in place a Corridor
Development Strategy that would sustain and improve
livelihood in the communities. This would certainly create
local support and also conform to the Growth and
Poverty-Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II).
Any effort to prevent illegal exploitation of natural
resources within the Corridors and the nearby areas must
include sensitization, information dissemination and
training of rural communities on the need to protect the
Corridors.
It must also involve the creation of income-generating
activities for community members to undertake profitable
ventures to enable them to support themselves and their
families. This would prevent them from destroying the
Corridors and certain valuable species of plants and
animals.
Traditional Authorities must be involved and their capacity
built to play a leadership role in the mobilization of
communities to actively get involved in the Corridors
development process.
There is the need for the Government to demonstrate
political will in this direction and for the participation
of local communities. They would need to harmonise
interventions along the Corridors by ensuring the effective
management of natural resources and ensuring sustainable
agriculture practices within the Corridors.
There is the need to harmonise the traditional and modern
systems of natural resource management. Communities must be
allowed to benefit from the improved management of natural
resources; share the responsibilities of Corridor
management; organise the communities to provide support for
natural resource management at the local level and build the
capacity of local communities.
The Northern Savannah Biodiversity Conservation Project (NSBCP)
needs to be commended for its establishment of two the
Wildlife Corridors to facilitate the free movements of
animals between Ghana and the neighbouring Burkina Faso.
Activities carried out so far by the NSBCP in the Corridors
include the establishment of community structures; provision
of alternative livelihood by giving micro-credit to farmers
to go into beekeeping; buy fertilizers, donkeys and carts;
introducing them to good farming practices and raising their
awareness on the benefit to be derived from the development
of the Corridors.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
has also been contracted to carry out feasibility studies
which are geared towards the preparation of plans for the
development of the wildlife Corridors
The IUCN cross border Ecosystems Management Project seeks to
reverse the environmental degradation and biodiversity
destruction still going on in the Corridors.
The creation of the Ghana Corridors is a means of striking a
balance between the communities and wildlife to co-exist.
Traditional and Political Authorities, community members and
other stakeholders need to collaborate to make the
development and the conservation of the Corridors achievable
since there are enormous benefits that could be derived from
it.
Tourism, employment and medicinal plants could be derived
from wildlife conservation if all hands were put on the
deck. It behoves Government, stakeholders and community
members to give the necessary support to the management,
implementation and the sustainability of wildlife
development for the benefit of today's generation as well as
posterity.
GNA
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