The Kayoro community is situated on the Ghana-Burkina Faso border, and is one of the fringe communities bordering a network of Government Forest Reserves (FRs) namely Chasi FR, Chiana Hills FR, Sissilli North FR, Sissilli Central FR and Pudo Hills FR, all in Ghana and the Nazinga Game Ranch in south-central Burkina Faso. Running through Nazinga and southward through the network of FRs is the Sissilli River, which joins the Kulpawn River that runs through the Mole National Park ? Ghana?s premier Wildlife Park. This network of rivers and fragmented forest reserves form a natural corridor ? the Sissilli River Biodiversity Corridor ? for the movement of wildlife between Burkina Faso and Ghana. Unfortunately, the area has also served as the traditional hunting ground for the fringe communities such that the wildlife populations in the Kayoro area have been totally decimated. In the past two decades, the hunting pressure has been directed more intensely northwards towards the Nazinga Game Ranch because it is rich in wildlife. It is reported to hold the highest density of ungulates in West Africa. The Nazinga Game Ranch is currently funded by GEF Large Grants. Poaching from within Burkina Faso and from Ghana has been identified as the major threat to the ranch. GEF/SGP has identified all the major hunters in Kayoro and through PRA, has helped the community to define the problems and the course of action to reduce the threats. Starting with 20 hunter families each year, the hunters are assisted with alternative livelihood ventures, mainly wet and dry season crop farming. Other livelihood activities will include bee keeping, livestock rearing and sheabutter and groundnut oil extraction for women. Women will also be introduced to Fuel Efficient Woodsaving Stoves.
The project is already seeing some positive results within one year since elephants and other wildlife have been sighted in the Kayoro area. Elephants were reported to have raided some crop farms far from human habitation. In response to this problem, community members were trained as Rapid Response Team to ward off elephants using funeral blasters (explosives).