ASSESSMENT OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS AT GOMOA OKYEREKO AND GOMOA ADAM IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF GHANA

ABSTRACT

The biodiversity conservation projects that were implemented at Gomoa

Okyereko and Gomoa Adam in Gomoa East and Gomoa West Districts in the

Central Region were to conserve degraded forests in the two communities. The

main problems had to do with using chemicals in hunting of wildlife, regular

bush fires, pollution of water bodies, indiscriminate cutting of trees and frequent

wind damages. This study therefore assessed the impact of the project

intervention in the light of the problems and the objectives set before the

implementation of projects and how they were able to solve or reduce the

problems identified.

Purposive sampling method was used to select the communities

involved in the study. Proportionate allocation was done to each category of the

target population to get the views of the people who were engaged in the various

activities. Simple random sampling method was used to select the respondents.

The allocated number to each stratum was subjected to the lottery technique

until the required sample size was obtained. Data was analysed using Statistical

Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 17 for frequencies and

percentages.

The results revealed that there was an extensive awareness creation in

all the participating and nearby communities on environmental conservation

and the ecological training centre which was built has been abandoned.

It was recommended that, the Okyereko Co-operative Afforestation

Society and the Global Habitat for Homeless with the help of the sampled

communities should develop their own demonstration and teaching farms to

teach farmers since the agro-forestry demonstration farm was never done