Protected area management and livelihood conflicts in Ghana: a case study of Digya National Park

Abstract

The Digya National Park in Ghana has been the scene of conflicts between local communities and wildlife managers ever since its establishment in 1971. The conflicts range from apprehension of local people by Wildlife Officials for entry into the park to collect non-timber forest products, to serious confrontation with poachers, arrests and evictions that occasionally result in deaths. Documented information on these conflicts, however, is scanty. This study examines the root causes of conflict in Digya National Park, with a view to recommending policy interventions that will help curtail the conflicts. Data for the study were derived from focused group discussions, direct interviews with stakeholders, on-site observations, as well as, from a management effectiveness evaluation exercise that involved administration of a pre-designed questionnaire to protected area managers and administrators. The results revealed that a major underlying source of conflict in the park was poverty in neighbouring communities. This, together with unresolved issues of compensation payment, animal raids on farmlands and exclusion of local communities in the management process, have fuelled illegal activities, mainly hunting and encroachment, leading to several conflict situations. Arrest of culprits and forced evictions by Wildlife Officials had not helped in curtailing illegal activities and conflicts. The study recommends linking wildlife management to community development to ensure that local economies and livelihoods of fringe communities are sustained while seeking to attain the objectives of wildlife conservation in order to minimize conflicts.

Local Communities’ Attitudes and Support Towards the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in Southwest Botswana

“…Perhaps communities that were further away were less likely to see or appreciate the benefits of KTP, and hence lacked support. This finding contrasted with other studies as communities that were in close proximity to PAs were found to have negative attitudes due to human-wildlife conflicts along with crop and livestock depredation [78,85,86]. For example, in Uganda, farmers who lived closer to and had farms on the boundary of Kibale National Park expressed negative attitudes toward the park and staff [4].…”

Towards an Understanding of Conservation-Based Costs, Benefits, and Attitudes of Local People Living Adjacent to Save Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe

“…Results agree with findings by Salerno et al [ 30 ] and Mackenzie [ 28 ] who assert that the distance to the PA-boundary is the primary predictor of conservation losses experienced by local communities. Literature further reveals that costs incurred by edge communities reduce their support for conservation and engender resentment and opposition to it [ 31 , 32 ]; hence, biodiversity can suffer. In support of this, Gandiwa et al [ 11 ] put forward that illicit wildlife-based activities have been reported to increase with an increase in (i) costs incurred by local communities from wildlife conservation.…”

Assessing the socio-economic stressors of Ghana’s only Strict Nature Reserve – Kogyae

“…Though several studies exist on Ghana's protected area system (e.g. Hagan, 1998;Attuquayefio & Fobil, 2005;Jachmann, 2007Jachmann, , 2008Ayivor et al, 2013 In order for the Strict Nature Reserve to maintain a viable ecological unit, the original forest reserve was extended southwards to include the sites of six communities ( Figure 1) after some consultations with the traditional heads. The extension included also the Afram River, which flows along the southern portion of the reserve, to ensure constant water supply to wild animals (Wildlife Division, 2002).…”