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Bia Biosphere Reserve: Sustainable Livelihoods for Cocoa Farmer
The Biosphere Reserve Bia is located in the Western North Region of Ghana close to the border of Côte d’Ivoire and overall covers 1956 km².
Following the UNESCO Biosphere concept, the Reserve is divided into three zones. The conservation area and National Park Bia is the protected and restricted core zone, surrounded by the buffer zone around the forest. On 1650 km², the transition zone allows commercial exploitation like farming and logging but also enables and promotes projects and cooperations for sustainability in these fields. Overall the goal of the UNESCO is “to improve local communities socio-economic status while conserving biodiversity“[1].
On about 306 km², the conservation area is covered by thick rainforest, partly evergreen, partly semi-deciduous. The northern part is almost a virgin forest with no former human interference, the southern part recovered rapidly after the end of logging in 1975. The well preserved and thick vegetation of the forest makes it a perfect habitat for many animals. It gives home to 63 mammal species including 10 primate species (chimpanzees, mona monkey, olive colobus…) besides others like Elephants, Pangolins and Bongos. Over 189 bird species have been recorded, including the highly endangered white breasted guineafowl or the Cassin’s hawk eagle.
The Biosphere Reserve stands out for being one of few remaining green areas in the Western part of Ghana. Being rich in natural resources like gold, wood and soil, nature in the West of Ghana largely suffers from gold mining and deforestation.
Inside the conservation area there is only restricted access, banning any commercial use or general human intrusion except for research, educational purposes, or minor tourism activities. The Wildlife Division, a unit of Ghana Forestry Commission, protects the animals of the forest directly and indirectly.
The Wildlife Division works in three units, each having complementary tasks.
Law enforcement
The law enforcement unit works for the direct protection of the conservation area. The majority of their work consists of patrols inside and around the forest. 25 rangers are assigned to five camps around the conservation area. During patrols of up to five days, the rangers monitor animal activities like sightings, footprints, faeces or feeding signs, so the data can later be evaluated or analysed. To locate poachers, they track and follow activities like snares, footprints, or old camping sites. When they can assume an upcoming confrontation, they will lay ambush at key points of the forest or directly chase the poachers. Direct confrontations are highly dangerous for the rangers, as poachers are mostly armed.
Poaching is the biggest problem for the conservation area and has contributed to the extinction of species like the red-and-white colobus monkey. Remaining species like chimpanzees are highly threatened by poaching.
Administration
The administration unit keeps the organized structure of the Wildlife Division running by controlling the finances, much of the communication, and paperwork.
Community
The community unit is engaged in educational activities with schools and farmers, where they communicate the importance, reasons, and benefits of a Biosphere Reserve to young and old. They are also in close contact with more than 60 communities surrounding the park to minimize conflict and enable more cooperative work.
Since almost the entirety of the Bia West region depends on cocoa farming, the most important task for community work is to enhance livelihood alternatives for this sector. After the cocoa season ends, there is no livelihood intervention, causing people to search for food and hunt inside the conservation area. Therefore, promoting livelihood interventions influences poaching activities greatly. Within the Green Economy project, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Committee together with NGOs supplied equipment for alternative livelihood interventions like honey farming and palm oil extraction. Additionally, there are initiatives for tree planting on farms in order to promote biodiversity. The cooperation with these communities is extremely important since the interaction among the people, their lands and farms influence the ecosystem heavily.