The European Union-funded Savannah Integrated Biodiversity Conservation Initiative (SIBCI) held a two-day Interstate major stakeholder engagement on transboundary collaborations on the establishment of ecological connectivity between Mole National Park in Ghana, and Nazinga Game Reserve in Burkina Faso as well as Mole National Park and Comoe National Park in Cote d’Ivoire.
This meeting was held at the Mole National Park on Wednesday 18th May to Thursday 19th May, 2022.
The program was facilitated by the Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) with support from the Ghana Wildlife Society and the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
The program sought to come out with ideas on protecting the corridors of the Mole National Park to Burkina Faso (Nazinga Ranch) and the Comoe park (Cote d' Ivoire), devising management approach for each connecting corridor; Mole-Nazinga corridor and Mole-Comoe corridor and also foster networking among the three countries.
According to the Executive Director of Ghana Wildlife Society, Rev. David Guba Kpelle, animals do not know borders between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana and Burkina Faso since they are shared resources. Therefore, there is the need for trans-boundary collaboration with our counterparts in Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire.
“This workshop is therefore appropriate to identify areas of collaboration with our counterparts in the two countries”. He said
Rev David Kpelle said it is worth noting that this corridor is one of the most important elephant corridors in West Africa reported to hold the largest transboundary elephant population in West Africa: About 500 between Mole and Nazinga and 700 between the Red Volta-Gambaga Scarp Forest in Ghana and the Kabore-Tambi National Park in Burkina Faso
The objectives of the project is to contribute to promoting indigenous, sustainable and inclusive economic development that responds to the challenges of climate change and to achieve a more sustainable, participatory and integrated management of the Mole National Park towards biodiversity conservation and resilience to climate change.
The initiative which promotes knowledge and experience sharing among these three countries. Nazinga park manager, Mr Tienrebeogo F.B.S. Kevin from Burkina Faso stated that the initiative that brought them to the Mole National Park has really given them the opportunity to share their experiences in the area of natural resource and it will help them to handle the issue of security, protection and safety of elephants in the trans-border parts especially, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire. He added that it is important to manage resources in a common manner within the trans-borders because “we humans know borders but animals don’t”, he added
Mr Ali Mahama, the Park Manager of Mole National Park expressed his joy about the program, saying that the program has helped them to connect with their colleague managers which will help them collaborate in protecting the lives of elephants and other animals in the trans-borders by sharing ideas between their corridors. He added that they have learnt a lot from Burkina and Cote d Ivoire, especially how they are able to manage their corridors and also protect the biodiversity conservation.
He thanked the European Union for funding SIBCI to organize this program
In a closing remarks, Rev David Kpelle called for collaborations to implement measures that will enable them achieve their goals and emphasized that transboundary has roles in the development of our socio economic development in the country, income generation, and job creation. He encouraged park managers to take the initiative serious and work closely with each other.