Ghana: Lean project for biodiversity conservation

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Biodiversity degradation in Ghana is a concern for the government. The West African country is prone to deforestation, which is accelerating due to the lack of adequate control of agricultural practices, mining, fuelwood collection and illegal hunting.

The Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (LEAN) project aims to protect this threatened biodiversity. Recently launched in Ghana, the project is being implemented by a coalition of organisations including World Vision, Tropenbos Ghana, EcoCare Ghana and Rainforest Alliance. “The LEAN project will build climate resilience, reduce emissions from land-use change in Ghana’s savannah, high forest and transitional areas and help local farmers improve their livelihoods,” says EcoCare Ghana.

European Union funding
The LEAN project will also address ecosystem conservation by looking at working landscapes, alternative livelihood opportunities for smallholder farmers and climate change adaptation and mitigation opportunities. “The objectives of the LEAN project are aligned with the strategies underpinning Ghana’s 2012 Forest and Wildlife Policy. About 70% of local community members depend on the forest for their food and energy needs,” says Musah Abu Juam, the Director of Forestry at Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.