Hippos Help Alleviate Poverty in Ghana
Ten years ago, farming and hunting communities of Wechiau in the Upper West Region of Ghana had no schools, electricity, or even drinking water.
But today, thanks to a decade-long effort by the community to preserve its endangered hippopotamus population and convert the area into a wildlife sanctuary, revenues from sustainable ecotourism are being used to improve infrastructure and build schools.
With the support of organizations like the United Nations-backed Equator Initiative and Canada's Calgary Zoo, several schools have been built, solar-powered electricity has been installed and wells are being drilled to provide safe drinking water for villages throughout the sanctuary.
The Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary is both an innovative effort and an example of how conserving biodiversity can help reduce poverty — while benefiting animals and people at the same time.
In order to minimize human and hippo conflict and provide undisturbed grazing habitat for the hippos, the villagers have moved all farms and fishing camps two kilometers from the river. However, the local community understands that by conserving the environment, they are creating other opportunities for their community and promoting their remote district as an ecotourist destination.
It is often difficult to convince poor communities to engage in long-term environmental protection and conservation. But for the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary, support from traditional chiefs and locals is strong.
This is because the sanctuary is a "genuine community-based initiative led by the traditional chiefs and people with no national government involvement." In fact, it is the first community-owned and managed large-mammal sanctuary in Ghana.
Today, the sanctuary is a testament to the possibilities of ecotourism, covering 40 km² along the Black Volta River and the home to one of the two remaining populations of hippopotamus in Ghana.
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