Ghana: Natural Resources Management Programme (NRMP)
Case Study C0196
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| Date | February 2004 |
| Agency | World Bank |
| Donor/support agency | GEF Ministry of Lands and Forests, Ghana |
| Project type | Implemented by agency |
| Context(s) | Productive landscape Protected area |
| Geographic coverage | Ghana |
| Locality | Sagyemase and Jema communities |
| Biodiversity focus | Ecosystem/landscape |
| Development focus | Rural communities |
| Conservation goals | Protect and sustainably manage Ghana's natural resources |
| Poverty reduction goals | Sustainably increase the income of rural communities |
Summary
Ghana's Natural Resources Management Programme (NRMP) is a comprehensive ten-year programme originally designed by the Government of Ghana in Collaboration with the World Bank. The overall development objective of the NRMP is to protect, rehabilitate and sustainably manage national land, forest, savanna woodlands and wildlife resources and to sustainably increase the income of rural communities who own these resources. Specifically, the development objective of the Phase 1 of the project is to establish effective policy and institutional frameworks for sustainable resources management programmes, among which is the implementation of the Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs). In order to achieve its objectives, the project main strategy at the community level is to ensure the active participation of the local people in the conservation, protection and management of the GSBAs. To this end two main approaches have been adopted: formation of the Community Biodiversity Advisory Groups (CBAGAs), to enhance community involvement in the management of the GSBAs, and development of alternative livelihoods through the provision of financial support to communities whose livelihoods depend on the forest.
Two communities, Sagyemase and Jema, were studied to assess the type and scale of benefits (as well as the negative impacts) that resulted from the first phase of the project. These communities are located in the high forest zone of Ghana, where the vegatation is composed by a mixed patches of secondary forests, crop lands and fallow areas. Farming is the dominant activity in the study communities, involving the cultivation of food and cash crops as well as animal rearing, especially poultry. In both communities, off- reserves forests had reduced significantly in the years before the implementation of the project due mainly to logging and increased demand of such lands for the cultivation of cocoa and other tree crops including citrus and oil palm.
One of the main conclusion of the study is that local people are aware that the GSBAs will give them benefits in the long run but in the short term there are several costs that they will have to sustain, especially the loss of access to some resources in the forest reserves, particularly land for farming and community expansion and development. Consequently, they expect to be compensated particularly through the support of sustainable alternative livelihoods.
Conservation impact
In general the project has led to the following:
- Reduced illegal activities in the forest reserves (and therefore reduced litigation arising from encroachment of forest resources)
- Community members have become more aware of their rights and responsibilities in the management of the forest reserves
- The good maintenance of the forest and reduced illegal logging in off reserve forests lands were cited as major contributory factors to the improvement in the local weather conditions
Poverty reduction impact
In general the project has led to the following:
- In terms of physical infrastructure, the project has not set up any yet; however the communities expect the project to provide numerous facilities
- Members of the CBAGs have been given various forms of training in conservation, protection and management of the GSBAs, and are expected to impart the knowledge gained to other members of their communities. However, more training is needed by people to set up alternative income generating activities
- Under the project the communities have been granted access to NTFPs, even though only limited
Strategy for Conservation/Poverty Linkages
Enabling local participation in policy-/decision- making processes
Provision of alternative livelihoods
Reference 2
http://www.gefonline.org/projectDetails.cfm?projID=136
Related records above this one:
- World Bank (Organisation O0145)
- Global Environment Facility (GEF) (Organisation O0026)