Gender Focus
SAFI believes in a pluralistic approach that values the diversity among both women and men, and as such Gender Mainstreaming was considered during the project design at all areas and levels. SAFI adheres to the principles of the UN Security Resolution 1325, which enhances female participation in all aspect of socio-economic development. The project recognises women as most vulnerable and affected by biodiversity loss, and has identified that women are less likely to be part of development projects because of other responsibilities. And as such, the project will adopt a gender sensitive approach where conscious efforts will be made to identify the role of women. To ensure larger participation of women in the project, the recruitment process has targeted at least 60% of women to be hired and trained for project activities. The project will ensure that at least 50% of women are selected to be part of the implementation committee.
Project sustainability
The community groups formed and strengthened are maintaining the projects
Notable Community Participation
The project will conduct consultation and interactive dialogue with opinion leaders; Traditional Authorities, MMDAs, and Policy makers within the transitional zone with the view of soliciting stakeholder inputs on how best the sacred groves can be better managed and sustained. Focus group discussions, interviews and town hall meetings will be conducted to create biodiversity conservation awareness within the communities. The project will actively engage and hire community members for most of the project activities. Each participating community will select community implementation committee and appoint a project leader who will coordinate all project activities within the community. The project will actively development capacity of the community implementation committee on project management. Traditional and Local governance system is highly respected within the participating communities, and as such Chiefs and opinion leaders will be made Patrons for the project implementation committee.
Capacity - Building Component
The project will train local communities in the use of GPS, identification of species, keeping of records and management of sacred sites.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
trained community members could be hired by other communities to conduct tree inventory
Project Results
1. A total of 100 beneficiaries including 20 undergraduate students were trained in basic GPS application and manuals were developed for the beneficiary communities biodiversity, conservation practices, forest health monitoring and forest fire management.
2. 50 sacred groves were identified, but 41 were successfully mapped.
3. Plant systematic was conducted in each sacred grove to identify plants species and also major
threats to the conservation of the sacred groves alongside characteristic features of the sacred
grooves were identified and documented.
4. A new policy guide for Sacred groves were drafted and discussed. The highlights of the draft policy include:
1.0 Policy Justification
Ghana has included traditionally protected forests into the national conservation strategy as indicated in the 2012 Ghana Forest and Wildlife Policy. The main aim of the 2012 Policy is:
“Conservation and sustainable development of forest and wildlife resources for the maintenance of environmental stability and continuous flow of optimum benefits from the socio-cultural and economic goods and services that forest environment provides to the present and future generations whilst fulfilling Ghana’s commitments under international agreements and conventions”
Specifically, the Policy Strategic Directions and Policy Strategies provide impetus for the recognition and conservation of the traditionally protected forests. These relevant provisions are captured under the following policy directions and strategies:
Policy Strategic Direction 1.5
“Promote the traditional autonomy for the protection and management of sacred groves and community dedicated forests for biological and cultural diversity on and off-reserve”;
Policy Strategy 1.5.1
“Traditional sacred sites would be considered as part of the national Protected Areas and cultural heritage sites.” In pursuance of this policy, the government will carry out the following duties:
a) Review relevant legislation to recognise the rights of local people and the customs and belief systems that lead to the management of their sacred sites.
b) Ensure that economic and development planning authorities as well as other land-use agencies at all levels of governance recognise sacred natural sites as legitimate land-use and their custodians as legitimate managers.
c) Document sacred natural sites of biological, spiritual, religious, cultural and heritage values whilst maintaining their secrecy where required.
d) Support the provision of livelihood systems (materially, socially and spiritually) for needy communities associated with significant sacred natural sites when the need arises.
Policy Strategy 1.5.2
“Encouraging national planning agencies and protected area managers to engage with custodians of the sacred natural sites to undertake best practices and support the development, testing, dissemination and implementation of relevant international and national agreements and guidelines in accordance with international and local guidelines”
Policy Strategy 1.5.3
“Supporting the establishment of a dedicated fund for the sustainable management of sacred natural sites”
2.0 Philosophy for the conservation of traditionally protected landscapes
2.1 Current policy challenges to sacred groves conservation
Although the conservation of sacred landscapes has been incorporated in the national policy, no concrete action has been outlined at national level and their economic and ecological importance is often overlooked. Lack of appropriate recognition, political and economic support is hampering communities’ efforts to conserve their natural resources. Additionally, inappropriate infrastructure development, illegal hunting, farming, timber harvesting and wildfires, and externally-driven change of local value systems (religion) have all degraded and fragmented the sacred groves. In many communities, sacred groves are almost depleted. Currently, there is no conservation authority or institution responsible for the sustainable development of sacred groves. The extensive and increasing pace of degradation of Ghana`s forest resources calls for extensive collaborative and consultation process to begin policy guidelines for conservation of the remnant forests (sacred groves) in Ghana.
Accordingly, this draft strategy document is to kick start the debate and create the platform to national actions to help develop these protected landscapes. The philosophy for the conservation of traditionally protected forests hinges on the following underlying perspectives:
• Economics: When natural resources have value and communities are incentivised they will manage the resources sustainably to improve livelihood.
• Conservation: Sustainable management of traditional forests will secure habitats and preserve biodiversity (life supporting system)
• Political: The involvement of rural people in national conservation programmes strengthens democratisation and accountability at local level and that contributes to all-inclusive governance
• Socio-cultural: Conservation promotes social coherence and strengthens communities’ socio-cultural well-being.
2.2 Policy implications
The policy guidelines that incorporate socio-cultural, economic and ecological aspirations of the resources communities will not only conserve the resources in perpetuity but will also improve socio-economic and cultural well-being of the people. The policy guidelines will have direct and indirect implications on the following:
Ecological/Environmental implication
Sustainable management of traditionally protected forests will enhance the ecological integrity of forest, savannah, wetlands and other ecosystems. They will continue to play a significant role in gene conservation because they are great depositories of biodiversity and provide refuge for endemic and endangered plant and animal species outside the national forest reserves. In addition they will contribute to global climate adaptation and mitigation by acting as reservoirs for atmospheric greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, thus, fulfilling Ghana’s obligation to International Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). They will continue to play their role as headwaters for many streams and rivers that provide potable water to rural communities, as well as improve soil nutrient cycling.
Economic implication
The policy guidelines will enhance the economic benefits from the forest. The Traditional forests have the potential to generate employment and sustainable income through NTFPs development, and nature-based tourism. The policy guidelines will remove all bottlenecks and identify opportunities in NTFPs development and trade. In addition, medicinal plants development and trade will improve the national healthcare and create employment opportunities. Such market opportunities will form strong economic backbone in rural and national economy, and will prevent rural urban migration.
Socio-cultural implication
Traditionally protected forests play an important role in the socio-cultural and spiritual well-being of the people. The local peoples’ spiritual and cultural well-being is intertwined with their forests. The traditional forests are believed to be the point of contact to ancestral world. They often serve as a burial ground for royals and traditional leaders, as well as a historic ground and cultural heritage site. The traditional forests serve as a cultural identity. Some trees and animals have cultural associations with many clans and are used as totem symbols. In many instances, the forest may be the only available green space in urban centres. As such, urban dwellers use them as a walk-ways to satisfy both physical and spiritual well-being. Traditional and Christian believers use them for prayers and religious gathering.
3. Policy Recommendations
The following are recommended for policy consideration:
3.1 National Documentation of Traditionally Protected Forests
All traditionally protected forests within Ghana must be inventoried and documented. A complete national GIS database of all traditional forests will provide up-to-date information on the biological resources, geographic location and boundary, conservation strategies and challenges. Due to the sensitivity of the information a wider public consultation is required to identify who and how the information is stored and distributed. This process can be achieved through collaboration between the State institutions trusted with the responsibility of forest management and the local organisation competent to conduct such inventories.
3.2 Institutional Arrangement for Management
Presently, the management of traditionally protected forests is not clearly defined under any institution. It is highly recommended that their management is brought under defined institutional control, while respecting the traditional modes of conservation. Although, the Forestry Commission is responsible for the management of the nation’s forests under the Ghana’s Constitution, the Ministry of Environment Science, Technology and Innovations, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Cultural and Chieftaincy Affairs and Ministry of Local Government could be important partners for the effective management of the traditionally protected forests.
3.3 Inclusion in national economic and environmental policy
The economic contribution of traditionally protected forests in the national economy is often overlooked. And as such, they are not included in any national economic policies. However, the study revealed that traditionally protected forests have huge economic potential in areas of nature-based tourism, NTFPs trade, green job creation as well as the ecosystem benefits such as carbon sequestration, headwater protection, soil improvement, water regulations, etc. It is recommended that the economic benefits of traditionally protected forests be studied and accounted for in the national economy. In addition, carbon storage in the traditionally protected forests must be studied. This study can facilitate how communities may benefit directly from environmental initiatives such as REDD+ or other payment of ecosystem services.
3.4 Education
As a matter of priority, there must be cautious efforts to conduct a national sensitisation on the economic, ecological and socio-cultural values of traditionally protected forests. Such initiative will prevent the continual destruction of the forests and ensure their permanency. This can be achieved through collaboration between the Forestry Commission, Local Government, MMDAs, and Traditional and Local authorities.
4.0 Principles and Guidelines for the Management of Sacred Natural Sites Located in Legally Recognized protected Areas
4.1 PRINCIPLES
Principle 1. Recognize sacred natural sites already located in the protected areas.
Principle 2. Integrate sacred natural sites located in protected areas into planning processes and management programmes.
Principle 3. Promote stakeholder consent, participation, inclusion, and collaboration.
Principle 4. Encourage improved knowledge and understanding of sacred natural sites.
Principle 5. Protect sacred natural sites while providing appropriate management access and use.
Principle 6. Respect the rights of sacred natural sites custodians within an appropriate framework of national policy.
4.2 GUIDELINES
PRINCIPLE 1. RECOGNIZE SACRED NATURAL SITES ALREADY LOCATED IN PROTECTED AREAS.
Guideline 1.1. Natural and cultural values: Recognize that sacred natural sites are of vital importance to the safeguarding of natural and cultural values for current and future generations
Guideline 1.2 Ecosystem services and human well-being: recognize that sacred natural sites have great significance for the spiritual well-being of many people and that cultural and spiritual inspiration are part of the ecosystem services that nature provides.
Guideline 1.3 Recognition: Initiate policies that formally recognize the existence of sacred natural sites within near government or private protected areas and affirm rights of traditional custodians to access and play an appropriate, ideally key, role in managing sacred natural sites now located within formal protected areas.
Guideline 1.4 Consultation: include the appropriate traditional cultural custodians, practitioners, and leaders in all discussion and seek their consent regarding the recognition and management of sacred natural sites within or near protected areas.
Guideline 1.5 Holistic models: Recognize that sacred natural sites integrate social, cultural, environmental, and economic values into holistic management models that are part of the tangible and intangible heritage of humankind.
PRINCIPLE 2. INTEGRATE SCARED NATURAL SITES LOCATED IN PROTECTED AREAS INTO PLANNING PROCESSES AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES.
Guideline 2.1 Park Planning: Initiate planning processes to revise management plans to include the management of sacred natural sites located inside protected area boundaries.
Guideline 2.2 Identify sacred natural sites: Where secrecy is not an issue and in close collaboration and respecting the rights of traditional custodians, identifies the location, nature, use, and governance arrangements of sacred sites within and around protected areas as part of a participatory management planning process.
Guideline 2.3 Respect confidentiality: Ensure that pressure is not exerted on custodians to reveal the location or other information about sacred natural sites and, whenever requested, establish mechanisms to safe confidential information shared within protected area agencies.
Guideline 2.4 Demarcate or conceal: Where appropriate and to enhance protection, either clearly demarcate specific sacred natural sites, or alternatively, to respect the need for secrecy, locate sacred natural sites within larger strictly protected zone so exact locations remain confidential.
Guideline 2.5 Zoning: Establish support, buffer and transition zone around and near sacred sites, especially those that are vulnerable to adverse external impacts.
Guideline 2.6 Linkages and restoration: Create ecological corridors between sacred natural sites and other suitable area of similar ecology for connectivity, and in degraded landscape consider restoring sacred natural sites as an important initial step to reviving a wider area.
Guideline 2.7 Ecosystem approach: adopt the system approach as the key strategy for the integrated management of land, water, and living resource that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way and also includes cultural and spiritual values.
Guideline 2.8 Landscape and approach: take a landscape approach to sacred natural site, recognizing their role in wide cultural landscape, protected area systems, ecological corridors and other uses.
Guideline 2.9 Support development planning recognition: Development planning authorities are the main planners of land use in areas outside many protected area systems, Seek their and other stakeholders’ support for the recognition of sacred natural site in the wider countryside.
Guideline 2.10 categories and governance: Recognize that sacred natural sites exist in all of IUCN protected area categories and governance types, and that those that fall outside formal protected area system can be recognized and supported through different legal and traditional mechanisms according to the desires of their custodians, including as community conserved areas when appropriate.
Guideline 2.11 International dimensions: Recognize that some sacred natural sites and the cultures that hold them sacred, cross international boundaries and that some may be within or may surround existing or potential trans boundary peace parks.
PRINCIPLE 3. PROMOTE STAKEHOLDER CONSENT, PARTICIPATION, INCLUSION, AND COLLABORATION.
Guideline 3.1 Prior consent: Ascertain the free, prior and informed consent of appropriate custodians before including sacred natural sites within new formal protected areas and protected area system and when developing management policies affecting sacred places.
Guideline 3.2 Voluntary participation: ensure the site of the state or other stakeholder involvement in the management of sacred natural sites is with the consent and voluntary participation of appropriate custodians.
Guideline 3.3 Inclusion: make all efforts to ensure the full inclusion of all relevant custodians and key stakeholders, including marginalized parties, in decision making about sacred natural sites, and carefully define the processes for such decision making, including those related to higher level and national level policies.
Guidelines 3.4 Legitimacy: Recognize that different individuals and groups have different levels of legitimacy and authority in decision making about sacred natural sites.
Guidelines 3.5 Conflict management: Where relevant and appropriate, use conflict management, meditation, and resolution methods to promote mutual understanding between traditional custodians and more recent occupants, resource users and managers.
PRINCIPLE 4 ENCOURAGES IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF SACRED NATURAL SITES.
Guideline 4.1 Multidisciplinary approach: Promote a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to the management of sacred natural sites calling on, for example, local elders, religious and spiritual leaders, local communities, protected area managers, natural and social scientists, artists, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
Guideline 4.2 Integrated research: Develop an integrated biological and social research programme that studies biodiversity values, assesses the contribution of sacred natural sites to biodiversity conversation, and understands the social dimension, especially how culturally rooted behaviour has conserved biodiversity.
Guideline 4.3 Traditional knowledge: Consistent with article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), support the respect, preservation, maintenance and use of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities specifically regarding sacred natural sites.
Guideline 4.4 Networking: Facility the meeting of, and sharing of information between, traditional custodians of sacred natural sites, their supporters, protected area managers and more recent occupants and users.
Guidelines 4.5 Communication and public awareness: Develop supportive communication, education and public awareness programmes and accommodative and integrate different ways of knowing, expression and appreciation in the development of policies and educational materials regarding the protection and management of sacred natural sites.
Guideline 4.6 Inventories: Subject to the free, prior and informed consent of custodians, especially of vulnerable sites and consistent with the need for secrecy in specific cases, carry out regional, national and international inventories of sacred natural sites and support the inclusion of relevant information in the U.N World Database on Protected Areas. Develop mechanisms for safeguarding information intended for limited distribution.
Guideline 4.7 Cultural renewal: Recognize the role of sacred natural sites in maintaining and revitalizing the tangible and intangible heritage of local cultures, their diverse cultural expressions and the environmental ethics of indigenous, local and mainstream spiritual traditions.
Guideline 4.8 Intercultural dialogue: Promote intercultural dialogue through the medium of sacred natural sites in efforts to build mutual understanding, respect, tolerance, reconciliation, and peace.
PRINCIPLE 5 PROTECTS SACRED NATURAL SITE WHILE PROVIDING APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT ACCESS AND USE.
Guideline 5.1 Access and use: Develop appropriate policies and practice that respect traditional custodians access use, where sacred natural sites fall within formal protected area.
Guideline 5.2 Visitor pressures: understand and manage visitors pressures and develop appropriate policies, rules, codes of conducts, facilities and practices for visitors access to sacred sites, making special provision s for pressures brought about by pilgrimages and other seasonal variations in usage.
Guideline 5.3 Dialogue and respect: Encourage ongoing dialogue among the relevant spiritual traditions, community leaders, and recreational users to control inappropriate use of sacred natural sites through both protected areas regulations and public education programme that promote respect for diverse cultural values.
Guideline 5.4 Tourism: well managed, responsible tourism provides potential for economic benefits to indigenous and local communities, but tourism activities must be culturally appropriate, respective and guided by the value systems of custodian communities, wherever possible, support tourism enterprises that are owned and operated by indigenous and local communities, provided they have a proven record of environmental and cultural sensitivity.
Guideline 5.5 Decision-making control: Storing efforts should be made to ensure that custodians of sacred natural sites retain decision-making control over tourist and other activities within such sites, and that checks and balances are instituted to reduce damaging economic and other pressures from protected area programmes.
Guideline 5.6 Cultural use: While ensuring that use is sustainable, do not impose unnecessary controls on the careful harvest or use of culturally significant animals and plants from within sacred natural sites. Base decisions on joint resources assessments and consensus decision making.
Guideline 5.7: Protect: Enhance the protection of sacred natural sites by identifying, researching, managing, and mitigating overuse, sources of pollution, natural disasters, and the effects of climate change and other socially derived threats, such as vandalism and theft. Develop disaster management plans for unpredictable natural and human caused events.
Guidelines 5.8 Desecration and re-sanctifying: Safeguard against the unintended or deliberate desecration of sacred natural sites and promote the recovery, regeneration and re-sanctifying of damaged sites where appropriate.
Guideline 5.9 development pressures: Apply integrated environmental and social impact assessment procedures for developments affecting sacred natural sites and in the case of the land of indigenous and local communities support the application of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Akwe: Kon Guidelines for minimizing the impacts of development actions.
Guideline 5.10 Financing: where appropriate, pay due attention to the suitable financing of sacred natural sites management and protection, and develop mechanisms for generating and sharing revenue that take into account considerations of transparency, ethics equity and sustainability. Recognize that in many parts of the world poverty is a cause of the degradation of sacred natural sites.
PRINCIPLE 6. RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF SACRED NATURAL SITES CUSTODIANS WITHIN APPROPRIATE FRAMEWORK OF NATIONAL POLICY.
Guideline 6.1 Institutional analysis: understand traditional management institutions and enable and strengthen the continued management of sacred natural sites by these institutions. Make appropriate arrangement for the adoption and management of sacred natural sites that have no current custodian, for example by heritage agencies.
Guideline 6.2 Legal protection: Advocate for legal, policy and management changes that reduces human and natural threats to sacred natural sites, especially those that protect within national protection areas and other land planning frameworks.
Guideline 6.3 Rights-based approach: Root the management of sacred natural sited in a rights-based approach respecting basic human rights, right to freedom of religion and worship, and to self-development ,self -governance and self-determination as appropriate.
Guideline 6.4 Confirm custodians’ right: supports the recognition, within the overall national protected area framework, of the right of custodians to their autonomous control and management of their sacred sites and guard against imposition of conflicting dominant values.
Guideline 6.5 Tenure: where sacred natural sites have been incorporated within government or private protected area in ways that have affected the tenure rights of their custodians, explore options for the devolution of such rights and for their long-term tenure security
