Where do we go for our livelihoods? Conflicts over access, ownership and control of natural resources in the Mole National Park, Ghana

Globally, Natural Resource (NR) stocks have been the cause of conflicts motivated by livelihoods considerations and the non-inclusion of community stakeholders in the management processes, especially in Africa. While studies have investigated the natural resources’ use controversies and community livelihood sustainability in the Mole National Park, issues of conflicts over access, ownership and control of the natural resources in the park have been least investigated. Using a qualitative research approach, thematic analysis from ten Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and twenty in-depth interviews conducted in the study area, it was found that the denial of access to local communities to the resources in the park has been a major source of conflict between the local resource users and management of the Park as they believe that the management of the Park cannot prevent them control, access and utilization of their God given resources. The results show that the denial of access to local communities of the resources in the park; the centralised management system of the park; and the lack of compensation as a result of wildlife raiding of farms of fringed communities, are major sources of conflict between the local resource users and management of the park. The study suggests that management of the park adopt a bottom-up approach to reviewing and negotiating the principles of the Collaborative Wildlife Management Policy; and that compensation packages be paid to local community members for farm lands taken from them, and the occasional destruction of their crops by wild animals from the park.