10-Years of Community Based Ecotourism in Ghana, West Africa: lessons learned from community engagement at the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has been accused of failing on social, economic and/or ecological grounds. Balanced assessments are rare, particularly in West Africa. This paper examines the first 10 years... [ view full abstract ]

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has been accused of failing on social, economic and/or ecological grounds. Balanced assessments are rare, particularly in West Africa. This paper examines the first 10 years of Ghana’s Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary (WCHS) using an evaluation framework that considers socioeconomic and ecological outcomes, and also resilience mechanisms. Building upon traditional taboos against killing hippopotamus, this community initiative has conserved an imperilled large mammal, protected biodiversity and alleviated poverty amidst a bush meat crisis and diverse ethnic landscape. Community engagement has always been a key feature of WCHS demonstrated by the representative governance structure and continuous environmental education program leading to a second revenue stream through the establishment of a women’s organic shea cooperative. A legal process in Ghana, by which ownership of natural resources can be devolved to communities, has been secured engendering improved natural resource management.

In evaluating WCHS, we considered three parameters: (1) socioeconomic viability through the Sanctuary’s financial record, impact on household well-being through job creation and infrastructure improvements, and socioeconomic resilience mechanisms, (equity of benefit allocation, economic diversification, and empowerment); (2) ecological viability through hippopotamus population trends and avi-faunal biodiversity patterns inside versus outside WCHS; (3) linkage mechanisms that foster integration of development and conservation. We measured ecological awareness among school children and polled attitudes among residents who were disadvantaged by the Sanctuary’s creation.

Findings show WCHS has improved local livelihoods by spurring economic diversification and infrastructure development 2–8 times higher than surrounding communities. Simultaneously, threats to biodiversity have subsided, hippopotamus numbers are stable and riparian habitats now harbour more bird species than comparable areas nearby. Improved social capital, true empowerment, equitable distribution of benefits, ecological awareness among children and support for the Sanctuary – even amongst community members disadvantaged by its creation – speak to good long-term prospects. Risks remain, but evidence of socio-ecological resilience suggests that capacity exists to buffer risks and foster sustainability. Lessons learnt include recommendations for the implementation and evaluation of future community conservation initiatives including greater interdisciplinary integration linking economy to conservation and the use of adaptive co-management approaches in the practice of CBNRM.