Community conservation in Ghana has evolved, but policy and funding need to catch up

In Ghana, community resource management areas are the main way that local communities get involved in managing natural resources that fall outside protected areas. In this way, rural people protect their natural environment and earn a living from using nature sustainably.

Zukpuri Community Resource Management Area Shea nut project.

Global Shea Alliance/Flickr

The community resource management areas adopt a very different approach from fortress conservation. This is known to exclude and evict local communities from their lands.

Since the early 2000s, more than 63 community resource management areas have been set up across over 600 communities. They cover roughly 2 million hectares, just under 10% of Ghana’s total land area.