EVALUATION OF WILDLIFE HUNTING RESTRICTIONS ON BUSHMEAT TRADE IN FIVE MAJOR MARKETS AROUND DIGYA NATIONAL PARK

ABSTRACT Bushmeat harvesting, processing and trade has long been a source of livelihood for many homes in both rural and urban Ghana. Since the general belief in the country is that wildlife numbers have dwindled over the years due to unsustainable harvesting of this natural resource, this study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of wildlife laws in controlling trade and harvesting of wildlife. A total of 227 traders and 49 hunters were interviewed in five major markets around Digya National Park. Respondents were selected through snowballing while the simple random sampling procedure was used in selecting market days. The main data collection techniques were in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The data were processed using the Statistical Package for Scientific Solutions (SPSS) and Excel software. Based on the major findings of the study, it was concluded that the wildlife restrictions in the country is not readily complied by the operators of the bushmeat trade. The Wildlife Division is not properly placed to enforce the laws while the licensing system does not require operators to produce returns on their purchases. The bushmeat trade is completely dominated by rodents constituting 80.3% of the total trade at the five markets surveyed. The study recommended that to achieve sustainable bushmeat harvesting, the Wildlife Division especially of the Digya National Park needs to build the capacity of its field staff to coordinate and monitor bushmeat exploitation, production and trade in markets around the Park. Also the Wildlife Division management should strengthen the community collaborative resource management unit to carry out wildlife conservation education in the communities. There is also need for the Wildlife Division to vigorously pursue its new Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs), which seeks to devolve ownership and stewardship of wildlife resources to local communities with the view of ensuring community participation in wildlife management.