Local actors in the co-management of mole national park and the impacts associated with it

Abstract

Effective management of the National Parks largely depends on a participatory approach. Hitherto, fringe communities of Mole National Park were sidelined in its management. In recent times, the participation of communities in the management of forest resources in the Mole National Park is encouraged. This study examines how actors such as chiefs, land priests, clan heads, diviners, women leaders and youth groups support conservation using resource and habitat taboos, totemic system, traditional fire belt, sacred tree species and traditional awareness creation as strategies and their impacts thereof. The study employed a concurrent triangulation mixed methods approach in data collection, analysis, and presentation. Besides questionnaire administration as a quantitative method of data collection, the study made use of Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions as qualitative methods of data collection. Apart from the use of descriptive statistics as a component of SPSS for the analysis of quantitative data, content analysis was used for the analysis of qualitative data. The study revealed that the fringe communities endorse the chiefs and the land priests (kasawule wura) as most effective actors in the management of forest flora and fauna and the totemic system as the most effective management strategy. The study concluded that, there exists local management actors, and strategies in resource management, and fringe communities and the park are impacted positively because of community participation in park management. It is recommended that, benefit-sharing schemes should be considered and developed by park management and fringe communities since this can engender commitment to participation.