The border region of Southern Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire is of great importance for forest conservation as this area consists of many tropical forests with high biodiversity. Once heavily forested, the region has experienced issues regarding the social, economic and environmental consequences of unbridled destruction of tropical forests. Over the past few decades, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire has suffered huge deforestation. Since its independence in 1960, Côte d’Ivoire has lost about 67% of its original forest cover. This diminishing of tropical forests, especially the dense rain forest of West Africa, is usually the direct outcome of the dire need for agricultural land, where forests are seen as sources of soil that can quickly be cleared for agriculture, without regard to their fragility or to the forest-based values involved.
Ghana:
The Forestry Commission of Ghana is responsible for the regulation of forest and wildlife resources, the conservation and management of those resources and the implementation of policies related to them. The Commission consists of five different public bodies and agencies that individually enforce the functions of protection, management, the regulation of forest and wildlife resources. Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission is responsible for the protection and management of wildlife protected areas. There are twenty-one Wildlife protected Areas in Ghana accumulating 1,347,600 ha, which is 5.6% of the country. These protected areas network includes 7 National Parks, 6 Resource Reserves, 2 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 1 Strict Nature Reserve and 5 coastal wetlands. Two of the most important high forest remaining areas include Ankasa and Bia Conservation Areas, which are located in the South-western border region of the country, as shown in Figure 1.
Fig. 1. Map of Conservation Areas located In Ghana. “Parks and Reserves of Ghana.” IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature 2010, IUCN, 2010, portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2010-073.pdf.
Ankasa Conservation Area:
Ankasa was formerly managed by the Forestry Department as a protected area for timber production. However, in 1976, Ankasa was recognized as a Wildlife Protected Area and hence came under the management of Wildlife Division. This area comprises of the Ankasa Game Production Reserve, which covers 343 km2 (67%) and the Nini-Suhien National Park, covering the remaining 166 km2 (33%). The Nini-Suhien National Park fall under IUCN category II of National Park and the Ankasa Game Production Reserve is classified as “miscellaneous” protected area.
Ankasa is an ancient rainforest with significant biodiversity. It is one of the very few protected areas that hasn’t changed much since its origin and thus the protection of this area is of great concern. Approximately 800 different vascular plant species can be found in Ankasa along with forest elephants, leopards, bongo, chimpanzees and many other West African forest primates. Furthermore, Ankasa is home to various species of bird and butterflies. As the population of the area rises, there is a major threat to the conservation of Ankasa and its wildlife.
In 1998/99, it was found that Ankasa is surrounded by a population of 25,000 in over 1800 settlements within radius of 5-7 km. This protected area lies within the Jomoro District of which one Senior Divisional Chief and five Divisional Chiefs had traditional ownership of the Protected Areas. A huge population that surrounds the protected area consists of immigrants who seek fertile land for farming. The immigrant farmers all lease or rent farms from the indigenous owners. As such the immigrant farmers have no claim over the resources of the reserves.
All in all, the conservation of this protected area is very challenging as its management under the Wildlife Division is seriously underfunded combined with the threat that arises from increasing immigrant population who seek to use the resources of the reserves for their socio-economic benefits.
Bia Conservation Area:
Bia Conservation Area was recognized as wildlife protected area in 1974. This protected area covers an area of 306 km2 and is composed of Bia National Park (77.7 km2) in the North and the adjoining Bia Resource Reserve (227.9 km2) in the South. Bia National Park falls under the IUCN category II and Bia Resource Reserve classified under IUCN category VI. Bia Conservation Area borders other forest reserves that have been invaded by cocoa farmers. This has resulted in Bia as an ecological island of forest in a sea of cocoa farms.
Located in the transition agro-ecological zone, Bia has optimal conditions for biomass production, due to the combination of heavy rainfall and fertile rich soil. The original fauna composition of this conservation area has been seriously disturbed due to decades of hunting for commercial and subsistence purposes. The area covered by Bia is home to several species of large mammals including elephant, leopard, bongo and Yellow-backed Duiker. In addition, six different species of primates and a bird fauna of approximately 200 species can be found in this area.
Côte d’Ivoire:
Côte d’Ivoire is known to have the highest level of biodiversity in West Africa. Unfortunately, it also has one of the highest level of deforestation in the world. The two charts in Figure 2 show correlation between the decrease in area covered by forests and the increase in agriculture and area covered by farms.
Fig. 2. Area Charts of Large and Small Area Classes in 1975, 2000, and 2013. “West Africa: Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics.” Land Use, Land Cover, and Trends in Côte D’Ivoire | West Africa, eros.usgs.gov/westafrica/land-cover/land-use-land-cover-and-trends-Côte-divoire.
The issue of deforestation arises from Côte d’Ivoire’s economy primarily being dependent on agriculture. Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest cocoa producer, accounting for about 40 percent of global supply. As a consequence, deforestation rate is very high in Côte d’Ivoire and is resulting in the endangerment of species. Côte d’Ivoire is host to 3,660 plant species, including 105 threatened species; 229 mammal species, including 23 threatened species; 702 bird species, including 11 threatened species; 131 reptile species, including two threatened species; 54 amphibian species, including 14 threatened species; and, 111 fish species, including 11 threatened species.
Côte d’Ivoire is a signatory of the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and has established a number of protected areas in line with Convention guidance. Approximately 16.9 percent of Côte d’Ivoire land area, accumulating 32,246,000 ha, is under protection. There are eight national parks covering 1,762,500 ha; two biosphere reserves covering 1,770,000 ha; and, 15 botanical reserves covering 195,468 ha. In addition to these protected areas, there are 231 classified forests covering 4,200,000 ha, and 5,549 sacred forests covering 364,341 ha. Sacred forests are designated lands where conservation methods are incorporated into the traditional values of the local populations.
Ehotilé Islands National Park is one of the protected areas located in south-western border region of the country. The map below shows the location of Ehotilé Islands National Park.
Fig. 1. Map of South-east border region of Côte d’Ivoire, Ehotilé Islands National Park from: ” Côte d’Ivoire” Map, Google Maps. Accessed 5 Apr. 2018.
Ehotilé Islands National Park:
Ehotilé Islands National Park was recognized as a protected area in April 1974. The status of this area as protected was established through the initiatives of the local communities and with the help from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Ehotilé Islands is a set of six islands emerging on the Aby lagoon and covering an area of 550 ha (excluding the lagoon). These islands are Assokomonobaha (or Assoko), Balouhaté, Elouamin, Meha, Nyamouan and Bosson-Assoun.
Ehotilé Islands National Park has many numerous plant communities that are a product of the variation in soil in a very small area. Therefore, there is no one dominant plant species in the conservation area. However, 40% of the plant species on the edge of the islands consists of mangroves with the center comprising of dense undergrowth. In this conservation area, there is a highly diverse fauna. The mangrove trees create a nutritive system essential for the reproduction of numerous species. As all coastal wetlands, the Ehotilé Islands National Park is home to a remarkable birdlife. There were 128 bird species in 35 families. Furthermore, millions of bats, monkeys, antelopes, and manatees inhabit this national park.
Currently, this conservation area is under the management of Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development. Their main objectives are to preserve the natural environment, biodiversity, and historical and archeological sites. In addition, they aim to promote ecotourism to combat the issue of lack of funding for the conservation of park. The management also faces the issues of local human inhabitants attempting to acquire the park’s natural resources. There is an estimated population of 32,103 local inhabitants that surround the border of the park. Their main source of subsistence comes mostly from fishing from the lagoon surrounded by the islands. This poses as a major threat to the aquatic life of the park while also affecting the natural process of fish-hunting birds. Therefore, it is important to find a resolution that aids the conservation of the park, which is extremely essential for the wildlife that inhabits the park.