The Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS), in collaboration with Mole National Park and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), has inaugurated the Kananto–Kabampe Community Resource Management Area (K.K CREMA) in the Savannah Region.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening wildlife conservation while empowering local communities to play a more active role in the sustainable management of natural resources.
Speaking at the ceremony, Council Board Member and Acting Executive Director of GWS, Erasmus H. Owusu, emphasised that conservation efforts are more effective when local communities are directly involved.
He noted that placing communities at the centre of conservation helps ensure the long-term protection of wildlife and natural resources, even after specific projects come to an end.
The Kananto–Kabampe CREMA spans lands between the Kenikeni Forest Reserve and Mole National Park, forming a vital ecological corridor that supports wildlife movement, sustains local livelihoods, and preserves the cultural relationship between communities and their environment.
Prof. Owusu called on community leaders, youth groups, traditional authorities, government institutions, and development partners to support the initiative and adhere strictly to CREMA by-laws to safeguard the landscape.
He also urged non-governmental organisations and development partners to assist communities with livelihood training, environmental education, and awareness programmes to ensure sustainable resource management.
The Savannah Regional Minister, Salisu Be-Awuribe, commended the initiative and encouraged stakeholders to replicate the CREMA model in other districts across the region.
He said expanding the concept would enable more communities to actively participate in environmental protection and sustainable resource management.
According to him, CREMAs provide a structured and legally recognised framework for communities to restore degraded lands, protect shea landscapes and forest reserves, tackle illegal logging and unsustainable mining, and promote alternative livelihoods.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the K.K CREMA and Assembly Member for Apilso, Mumuni Mohammed, pledged the commitment of community members to protect forest and wildlife resources.
He said the presentation of the certificate of recognition reflects the trust placed in the communities to responsibly manage natural resources for both present and future generations.
