Assessing the Management Effectiveness of Three Protected Areas in Ghana

Assessments of management effectiveness of protected areas offer vital information about threats and management issues at the protected area. However, these assessments are frequently conducted mainly at the internal management level, without input from the local communities that implicitly influence the resources of the protected areas. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of three protected areas in Ghana—Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Gbele Resource Reserve, and Kalakpa Resource Reserve—using the Rapid Assessment and Prioritisation of Protected Areas Management assessment tool. The study included workshops with park managers and representatives from local communities, district assemblies, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Poaching, settlements, agricultural encroachment, poverty in nearby communities, and bush fires were identified as common pressures to all the assessed protected areas. The degree of these pressures was influenced by little or no funding, poor community relations, lack of staff and research, and natural resource inventories in the protected areas. Our study highlights the priority of remedial actions that are urgently needed to preserve the protected area resources.