Description

From the text... "This paper examines the pressures that lead to reduction of biodiversity especially the threat of wildfire to environmental resources, how indigenous people in Ghana protect vital environmental resources through culture, religion and indigenous technical knowledge and incentives needed to encourage people to protect wildlife and biodiversity...Conclusion: Wildfires do not respect geographical boundaries. Therefore, their complete elimination is practically impossible. Inter-regional and international cooperation is therefore required to prevent, control and combat the effects of bushfires. This paper concludes that the long-term protection of the forest and wildlife resources which depends on forest guards, fire control and religious taboos cannot ensure the long-term survival of BFMS because widespread poverty will force poor households with no choice but to exert even greater pressure on the resource base resulting in increased fire damage. Fires have been and will continue to be a persistent characteristic of grassland agriculture to produce food for rural and urban households. As the agricultural frontier advances into the BFMS, fire damage would increase and unless efforts are made to provide people with adequate sources of livelihood-food, employment and income and fire management techniques, the future sustainability of the sanctuary will be in doubt.”