Long-term management of crop raiding by elephants around Kakum Conservation Area in southern Ghana

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Résumé

The Kakum Conservation Area appears to be Ghana's most successful national park, what with 60,000 visitors each year and its role in boosting the economy of Cape Coast, the regional capital.But to the local farming community, the park is not such a blessing.Marauding elephants damage their crops, making the local community hostile towards the park and towards the concept of biodiversity conservation.Short-term methods attempting to solve the problem have been used for a long time with short-term success.This paper outlines a strategic approach that addresses the underlying causes of crop raiding as opposed to a tactical approach that tackles the symptoms.It proposes a triple-pronged strategy of managing the landscape, detecting crop raiding, and repelling the elephants-thus reducing the risk of crop damage and building an appreciation of conservation in local people around the park area.

Mots-clés

Geography, Agroforestry, Term (time), Nature Conservation, Wildlife conservation, Crop, Environmental protection, Fishery, Wildlife, Forestry, Ecology, Environmental science, Biology