Support to Aichi Targets 5 and 12: Trans-frontier Conservation Area in Ghana and Ivory Coast

Project Title/ID: Development of a trans-frontier conservation area linking forest reserves and protected areas in Ghana and Ivory Coast

Approved on: September 10, 2012

Type of Project: Medium Size Project

Country: Ghana and Ivory Coast

 

The Bia-Diambarakro area, at the frontier between Ghana and Ivory Coast, is a complex mosaic of forests, forest fragments and agricultural land (especially cocoa farms), with each of these areas managed for different purposes and subject to different tenure and ownership arrangements. Like much of the rest of these two countries, there are also a number of conflicts, uncertainties and weaknesses in the area with respect to the overall governance, ownership and management of land and resources. The main threats to biodiversity conservation and sustainable land and forest management in the area are: agricultural expansion; perverse incentives to remove tree cover; hunting pressure; human-wildlife conflict; and weak capacity of local institutions to address these issues.

The GEF recently endorsed the project “Development of a trans-frontier conservation area linking forest reserves and protected areas in Ghana and Ivory Coast” ($859,000 GEF, and $1.59 million in cofinance), implemented by FAO, that is supporting the governments of Ghana and Ivory Coast to put in place the pillars of a trans-boundary management agreement for the long term sustainable management of the area.

The project area was identified a decade ago as one of five priority regions for biodiversity conservation in the remaining Guinean Forests of West Africa. It contains some of the highest concentrations of threatened endemic plant and animal species present in this ecosystem, particularly some globally important species of large mammals, such as: Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus (Procolobus badius waldroni); Western Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus); White-naped Mangabey (Cecocebus atys lunulatus); Roloway’s Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway); Black and White Colobus (Colobus vellerosus); Olive Colobus  (Procolobus verus); and Elephant (Loxodonta africana).

 

The project will take place in two protected areas and their buffer zones and focuses on three aspects: increasing capacities of the protected area’s staff and local communities to conserve biodiversity, strengthening forest tenure to reinforce local  communities’ control and ownership of natural resources, and reducing human-wildlife conflict. Finally, the project will provide opportunities for countries to learn from each other, to co-ordinate conservation activities, and to develop a mechanism for collaboration between government agencies.

Overall this project will help alleviate forest loss, degradation and fragmentation in this area. Through this project, it is expected that 7,000 ha of forest will be rehabilitated, tree cover will be increased by 30% in 200 ha of organic cocoa farms and the local population of elephants will be stabilized thus making a significant contribution to Aichi Targets Five and Twelve.

More information and project documents available here.