The Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) model was adopted in Ghana in the 1990s to help conserve and increase the forest area of Ghana. Since its adoption, little is known about the prospects of the model in the scientific literature. To fill this gap, this study examined the management strategies, benefits and challenges of the Zukpiri CREMA in the Upper West Region. Mixed methods research involving a survey of 190 households, seven (7) focus group discussions and key informant interviews were employed to collect data in seven ( 7) CREMA communities. The study found that local communities employed several strategies including the formation of community resource management committees, enactment of bye-laws and fines regarding the management and extraction of the CREMA resources. The CREMA has positively impacted the livelihoods of the inhabitants through the harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and support from Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations. Nonetheless, the CREMA is not without challenges. These include land tenure and the CREMA resource use conflicts. This study, therefore, argued that besides creating an enabling ecologically balanced environment, inhabitants of the CREMA communities are reaping the benefits of the CREMA in many ways. Hence, the Forestry Commission of Ghana should focus on aligning relevant livelihood strategies in line with the CREMA approach to further deepen local communities' commitment to the conservation drive.

Local communities have different perspectives, uses and values ascribed to the diversity of plant and animal species at their service. Yet, local knowledge of the species diversity and use values, alongside conservation decisions and practices, received inadequate scholarly discussion. This article explores how local knowledge of species diversity (flora and fauna) and use values inform decisions for conserving natural resources in the Zukpiri Community Resource Management Area (CREMA). Using the qualitative research approach, seven focus group discussions were held with the Zukpiri CREMA Committees and supported with key informant interviews. The results showed that the CREMA hosts a great diversity of plant and animal species. Customary rules and regulations embedded in customs, traditional beliefs and practices are used in governing, protecting and conserving CREMA’s resources. Drawing on the organisational structure of the CREMA framework in Ghana, we suggest that the Forestry Commission of Ghana should intensify its collaborative role with the Community Resource Management Committees (CRMCs) to monitor illegal logging in and around the CREMA. Furthermore, traditional knowledge systems in line with conservational practices should be projected by the responsible state institutions.