Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
18
Aspects of resource tenure that
conserve biodiversity: The case
of southern and northern Ghana
Edwin A. Gyasi and William J. Asante
Introduction
Resource access or tenure refers to the terms, arrangements, or rules and regula-
tions governing control of or access to natural biophysical attributes regarded as
valuable by society. The character or system of resource access is widely assumed
to be an important determinant of the integrity of biophysical resources because
the incentive to conserve them is, to a large extent, inherent in it (Gyasi, 1994).
This chapter discusses resource tenure in relation to conservation of biodiver-
sity. It does so mainly on the basis of information from studies carried out under
PLEC between the years 1993 and 2001 in the demonstration sites in Ghana:
•
Gyamfiase-Adenya, Sekesua-Osonson, and Amanase-Whanabenya, which are
located in the southern sector of the forest-savanna transition zone
•
Bongnayili-Dugu-Song and Nyorigu-Binguri-Gonre in the northern savanna
zone (Map A; see also Map C).
Overview of the tenurial arrangements
In the five selected demonstration/study sites, the following are identified as the
principal types of resource tenure:
•
land tenure, i.e. tenure with respect to “terra firma”, the solid earth, which has spe-
cial significance because it is the fundamental natural resource for agriculture, the
most important economic activity that engages over 70 per cent of those employed
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