Darwin Training Programmes for Integrated Protected Area Management
Programme Background
This programme, which was funded by the UK government department DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) under its Darwin Initiative, was implemented between October 2005 and September 2008.
There is a substantial record of collaboration between Living Earth Ghana (LEG), Living Earth UK and the Wildlife Division (WD) of the Forestry Commission of Ghana. Throughout the EU-funded ‘Protected Areas Development Programme’ (PADP) (1996-2000), Living Earth Foundation (UK) provided regular technical assistance and worked with Wildlife Division to provide conservation education and community liaison expertise. An aspect of this work included the development and promotion of the Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) concept at the community level and development of the Ankasa Exploration Base. The need for ‘Darwin Training Programmes’ has been identified as a result of these collaborations and both the WD and LEG have been instrumental in developing project details.
Programme Objectives
This programme was developed to build the capacity of Ghana’s Wildlife Division (WD) to deliver effective training programmes to improve community liaison and biodiversity protection through promoting the establishment of CREMA's around Ghana’s protected areas. It was anticipated that this in turn would contribute to assisting Ghana meet its obligations under the Convention of Biodiversity (CBD).
The concept of CREMA is based on the premise that if communities are given the opportunity to manage their natural resource, then they will have the incentive to manage them sustainably and conserve them. Research conducted during PADP confirmed that CREMAs that are effectively implemented lead to improved environmental security and land-use practices by farmers, as well as improved income for farmers, which results in greater food security and poverty alleviation.
Programme Activities and Outputs
The teaching materials used during the training programme were assembled together in the form of a training manual to ensure that the lessons learned from the programme could be further shared and cascaded down amongst the community. A poster explaining the concept of CREMAs was also produced.
For a copy of the training manual or poster produced, please contact Living Earth Foundation or the Wildlife Division, PO Box M 239, Accra, Ghana.
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The project encountered difficulties in completing one of its intended results of working towards the establishment of 4 new CREMAs. Following the project launch, the policy of the Government of Ghana subsequently changed to favour the development and support of existing CREMAs rather than the creation of new ones.
A final report detailing the achievements and the challenges faced by the project was submitted to the Darwin Initiative and can be read here. |
