By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, April 17, GNA – A stakeholders’ forum on Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA) has been held to provide a regional consultative platform for comprehensive discussions on their status with focus on identifying opportunities and challenges of CREMAs.
It was also to identify and highlight the unique successes, drivers, and benefits of CREMAs in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Savannah Regions as well as foster collaborative strategies for sustaining and strengthening CREMAs drawing from shared experiences and insights.
It was organised in Tamale by Noé, a French international organisation dedicated to safeguarding biodiversity globally, and funded by the French Development Agency in collaboration with the West African Primate Conservation Action, ORGIIS-Ghana, A ROCHA-Ghana amongst other partners.
It formed part of the implementation of the second phase of the ECONOBIO project, which seeks to develop sustainable economic sectors in and around CREMA implemented areas in the country.
Participants included representatives from CREMAs, Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, academic institutions, civil society organisations, NGOs, Departments of Agriculture and District Assemblies from the northern part of the country.
Mr Songwa Diyabanza, Country Director of Noé, speaking at the forum, said it formed part of ongoing efforts to sustain the CREMA model by strengthening civil society actors and sharing lessons learned from the project to maximise its impact on biodiversity conservation.
The CREMA concept is a decentralised community-based natural resource management framework that empowers local communities to manage their natural resources, especially wildlife, for both economic and social benefits.
Since the CREMA concept’s introduction in 2000, CREMAs have expanded across various landscapes and regions of the country.
Despite their growth, CREMAs often operate independently with limited opportunities for cross-learning, collaboration, and regional engagement.
This isolation has restricted the sharing of knowledge and best practices at a regional level and has made it challenging for stakeholders to coordinate and support CREMAs effectively, hence the forum to address the gaps.
Mr Diyabanza explained that “This CREMAs forum aligns with the objectives of the ECONOBIO II project, which seeks to create a collaborative platform to help CREMAs to operate more effectively.”
Professor Yakubu Balma Issaka, a researcher from University for Development Studies, touched on conflicts that sometimes arose from parallel hierarchies between traditional authorities and CREMA executives saying such tensions could lead to disagreements over enforcement powers and mandates.
He said “Traditional authorities often consider themselves the rightful custodians of natural resources in Ghana. As a result, they may view CREMAs as competitors rather than partners in conservation.”
He called for the creation of a CREMA Sustainability Fund to be financed through a special levy on the use of natural resources by businesses, traders, and individuals in the districts to support CREMA activities.
He also urged District Assemblies to prioritise the development of business plans that leverage CREMA resources to support local development initiatives.
Mr Moses Anongura, Regional Manager, Northern Wildlife Division, Forestry Commission commended Noé and its partners for organising the forum.
He called on traditional authorities to collaborate with CREMAs to strengthen the country’s biodiversity conservation efforts.
GNA
EA/KOA