How are our protected areas doing? management effectiveness of three protected areas in Ghana

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/06/2012
Views (751)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

How are our protected areas doing? management effectiveness of three protected areas in Ghana

Benjamin Yeboah Ofori, Daniel Korley Attuquayefio
J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 2(6), 1-11, June 2012.
Copyright Statement: Copyright 2012; The Author(s).
License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

The management effectiveness of three protected areas, Mole National Park (MNP) in the Northern Region, and the Shai Hills Resource Reserve (SHRR) and the Densu Delta Ramsar Site (DDRS) both in the Greater-Accra Region of Ghana, were assessed. Park managers, wildlife officers and guards, and conservation practitioners were interviewed using the World Bank-WWF Alliance Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool Questionnaire (METT). Management effectiveness varied across the three protected areas (PAs). In general, the PAs were effective in conserving biodiversity, and ecological and cultural values. However, their contribution to improving standards of living of fringe communities remained a major management challenge, even though livelihood support programme existed in some communities surrounding the MNP and SHRR. A total of 21 threat factors were recorded for the PAs, with five of them, poaching, livestock grazing, bushfire, erosion and flooding being common to all the three PAs. The most severe and persistent threats varied from site to site. In all the PAs, management were constrained by inadequate funding, trained field personnel, and equipment and facilities. Addressing these constraints, therefore, may enhance the management effectiveness of these PAs.

Allotey J. 2007. Status of biodiversity and impact assessment in Ghana. Biodiversity and IA. Doc/ED’sDoc/26/04/2007.

Aryeetey E, Carret J, Penrose JP. 2005. Ghana: Natural resources management and growth sustainability draft. Economic sector work, World Bank.

Bruner AG, Gullison RE, Rice RE, da Fonseca, GAB. 2001. Effectiveness of parks in protecting tropical biodiversity. Science, 291, 125-127.

Chape S, Harrison J, Spalding M, Lysenko I. 2005. Measuring the extent and effectiveness of protected areas as an indicator for meeting global biodiversity targets. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 360, 443– 455.

Ervin J. 2003. Rapid assessment of protected area management effectiveness in four countries. BioScience, 53(9), 833-841.

Earth Trends (2003) Available online at http://earthtrends.wri.org.

Ferraro PJ, Pattanayak SK. 2006. Money for nothing? A call for empirical evaluation of biodiversity conservation investment. PloS Biology, 4 (4), 482-488.

Goodman SP. 2003. Assessing management effectiveness and setting priorities in protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal. BioScience, 53 (9), 843-851.

Hockings M. 2003. Systems for assessing the effectiveness of management in protected areas. BioScience, 53 (9), 823-832.

Lu D, Chou Y, Yuan H. 2005. Paradigm shift in the institutional arrangement of protected areas management in Taiwan: A case study of Wu-Wei-Kang Waterfowl Wildlife Refuge in Ilan, Taiwan. Environmental Science and Policy, 8, 418-430.

Mole National Park Management Plan (MNPMP). 1994. Ghana Wildlife Division (Forestry Commission) Accra, Ghana.

Oteng-Yeboah AA. 1999. Development of a Management Plan for the Densu Delta Ramsar Site for Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, Ministry of Lands and Forestry, Ghana, GET TF 28619 GH.

Phillips A. 2001. Mining  and  Protected  Areas. Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development No. 62, October, 2001.

Shai Hills Resource Reserve Management Plan (SHRRMP). 1992. Ghana Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission. Accra, Ghana.

Conservation Success in Protected Areas and Biosphere    Reserves    (CSPABR).    2006. Discussion Paper 01 of the GoBi Research Group, Berlin, June, 2006.

Struhsaker TT, Struhsaker PJ, Siex KS. 2005. Conserving  Africa’s  rain  forest:  problems  and possible solutions. Biological Conservation, 123, 45-54.

Wilson K, Pressey RL, Newton A, Burgman M,Possingham H, Weston C. 2005. Measuring and incorporating vulnerability into conservation planning. Environmental Management, 35 (5), 527-543.

Related Articles

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of Pleurotus citrinopileatus Singer and Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Singer

P. Maheswari, P. Madhanraj, V. Ambikapathy, P. Prakash, A. Panneerselvam, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 90-96, August 2025.

Mangrove abundance, diversity, and productivity in effluent-rich estuarine portion of Butuanon River, Mandaue City, Cebu

John Michael B. Genterolizo, Miguelito A. Ruelan, Laarlyn N. Abalos, Kathleen Kay M. Buendia, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 77-89, August 2025.

Cytogenetic and pathological investigations in maize × teosinte hybrids: Chromosome behaviour, spore identification, and inheritance of maydis leaf blight resistance

Krishan Pal, Ravi Kishan Soni, Devraj, Rohit Kumar Tiwari, Ram Avtar, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 70-76, August 2025.

Conservation and trade dynamics of non-timber forest products in local markets in south western Cameroon

Kato Samuel Namuene, Mojoko Fiona Mbella, Godswill Ntsomboh-Ntsefong, Eunice Waki, Hudjicarel Kiekeh, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 58-69, August 2025.

Overemphasis on blue carbon leads to biodiversity loss: A case study on subsidence coastal wetlands in southwest Taiwan

Yih-Tsong Ueng, Feng-Jiau Lin, Ya-Wen Hsiao, Perng-Sheng Chen, Hsiao-Yun Chang, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 46-57, August 2025.

An assessment of the current scenario of biodiversity in Ghana in the context of climate change

Patrick Aaniamenga Bowan, Francis Tuuli Gamuo Junior, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 35-45, August 2025.

Entomofaunal diversity in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] cultivation systems within the cotton-growing zone of central Benin

Lionel Zadji, Roland Bocco, Mohamed Yaya, Abdou-Abou-Bakari Lassissi, Raphael Okounou Toko, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 21-34, August 2025.

Biogenic fabrication of biochar-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles using Miscanthus sinensis for oxytetracycline removal and toxicological assessment

Meenakshi Sundaram Sharmila, Gurusamy, Annadurai, J. Biodiv. & Environ. Sci. 27(2), 10-20, August 2025.