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.