Republicof Ghana Ministry of Lands and Forestry Public Disclosure Authorized ENVIRONMENTALASSESSMENT Public Disclosure Authorized OF NORTHERNSAVANNA BIODIVERSITYCONSERVATION PROJECT (NSBCP) (DRAFT) Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized A. B. Acheampong FILECOPY P. 0. Box OS1551 Osu-Accra February, 2001 Northernsavanna BiodiversityConservation Project - EA Page ix 1.0 INTRODUCTIONAND BACKGROUND 1 2.0 DESCRIPTIONOF PROJECT 2 3.0 ENVIRONMENTALPOLICIES, LEGISLATION AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS 4 3.2 World Bank's Safeguard Policies and Guidelines 5 4.0 METHODOLOGYFOR DEVELOPINGENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 6 4.2 Desktop analyses 7 4.3 Field Visits 7 5.0 DESCRIPTIONOF PROJECTENVIRONMENT 9 5.1 Physical Environment 10 5.1.1 Climate and Meteorology 10 5.1 .2Geology and Topography 10 5.1.3 Surface and Groundwater Hydrology 12 5.2 Biological Environment 12 5.2.1 Ecology 12 5.2.2 Flora 12 5.2.3 Fauna 14 5.2.4 Rare or Endangered Species 14 5.2.5 Wild Animal Migration 15 5.3 Socio-Cultural Environment 15 5.3.1 The People 15 5.3.2 On-farm livelihood activities 16 5.3.3 Land Tenure 17 5.4 The Pilot Sites 18 5.5.1 Gbele Resource Reserve 19 5.5.2 The Faunal Corridors 20 6.0 EVALUATIONOF POTENTIALENVIRONENMENAL AND SOCIALIMPACTS OF PROJECT 24 6.1 General 24 6.2. Important Environmental and Social Components used in the Analysis 25 6.2.1 Potential Ecological Implications 27 6.2.2 Potential Implications for Natural Resources 27 6.2.3 Potential Socio-economic/Health Implications, 27 (I) Physical Environment 28 6 7.0 INSTITUTIONALARRANGEMENT AND TRAININGFOR THE IMPLENTATIONOF THE PROPOSEDMITIGATION MEASURES 35 7.1 General 35 7.2 Institutional Arrangement 36 7.3 Training, Monitoring and Reporting on Environmental Management and Assessment 38 8.0 CONCLUSIONSAND RECOMMENDATIONS 41 8.1 Conclusions 41 8.2 Recommendations 41 REFERENCES 44 APPENDIXI 46 APPENDIX11 50 SUMMARYDESCRIPTION OF NSBCP 50 Project Design Summary 58 GHANA: NORTHERN SAVANNABIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROJECT 58 Legislation 65 Environmental Assessment L.I 66 APPENDIX IV 70 APPENDIXVI 1 7 List of Acronyms CIPSEG- Co-operativeIntegrated Project on SavannaEcosystems of Ghana CITES - ConventionInternational Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Flora and Fauna DPA - District Planning Authorities EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment EPA - Environmental Protection Agency GERMP- Ghana EnvironmentalResource Management Project GIS - Geographic Information System LI - Legislative Instrument MOH - Ministry of Health MLF - Ministry of Lands and Forestry NEAP - National Environmental Action Plan NSBCP - NorthernSavanna Biodiversity Conservation Project PMCU- Project Monitoringand Co-ordinatingUnit SRMC - Savanna Resource Management Component UDS - University of Development Studies UNESCO- United NationsEducation, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Northern savanna Biodiversity Conservation Project - EA Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Consultantwishes to expresshis appreciationand gratitudeto the Ministryof Lands and Forestryfor giving the assignment. Specialthanks are also due to Mr M Abu-Juam(Project Co-ordinator), Mr Amissah, ProjectAdministrator and the staff of the Ministry on the Natural Resources ManagementProject for their assistanceand co-operation. He wishes to thank Dr E. Dwumfourof the World Bank,Ghana Office,for his invaluableadvice during the preparationof this report. The following personsand institutions,who helped in various ways, especiallyduring the field trips are acknowledged:Mr N. Ankudey,Director of Wildlife Departmentand his staff, Mr MosesAnangora, Senior Wildlife Officer in charge of the Gbele ResourceReserve, Mr Haizel of the NationalGame Reserve Mole, Mr Daniel Kojo Anko and Mr EddieTelly of the Bolgatangaand Tamaleoffices of the Environmental ProtectionAgency respectively, Mr Abudulai Ziblim,M.O Abebrese, and Mr Moses Wondohall of the ForestryServices Divisionand Mr. M. Kumahof SRMC. District Chief Executivesand the staff of the districtsassemblies, where the projects are sited and indeedthe chiefs and peopleof various projectsites, spent several hours to interact and discussthe biodiversityproblems with the consultantand his team, for which the Consultantis grateful. Northern savanna Biodiversity Conservation Project - EA Page jjj EXECUTIVESUMMARY The Northern Savanna BiodiversityConservation Project (NSBCP)is designed with the primary objective of improving the environment, livelihoods and health of the people of the Northern Savanna Zone of Ghana through the conservation and sustainableuse of natural resources. Specificallythe projectaims at the optimal use of the savanna ecosystem - to restore and conserve agro-biodiversity,medicinal plants, wood fuel, bush meat and grazing lands- and sustain povertyalleviation. The projectconsists of five main components: - formulationof a policy framework; - capacity building of key governmentinstitutions; - promotionof biodiversityconservation, research and development; - developingcommunity-based management actions; and - programmemanagement, monitoring and evaluation. Projectinterventions would be through: a. supportfor community-basedsavanna woodland and wildlife resource management b. support for improved management and monitoring of savanna biodiversity through the establishmentof special protectionareas in additionto and within the existing system of savannareserves that explicitlyincorporate biodiversity conservationas an integralmanagement objective. c. stimulating and supporting improved land managementpractices to support agro-biodiversity (e.g. through reforestation of degraded savanna areas, cultivationof indigenouscrops, etc.) and Northern savanna Biodiversity Conservation Project - EA Page iv d. efficient use of extracted savanna products (e.g. medicinal products, bush meat) that assureslocal users sustainablebenefits. The purpose of this environmental assessment is to determine the potential environmentaland social impacts of establishingspecial protectionareas in addition to existing system of savanna reserves and also of agro-biodiversityand medicinal plants conservationand suggest mitigatingmeasures for any adverse impacts. The project seeks to tackle the issue of conservationof bio-diversityin the Northern Savanna with vital components and cross-links to land degradation and desertification,which are the key natural resourcemanagement issues in Ghana. An impact matrix analysis of the project activities against environmentalparameters indicatesthat the projectgenerally has strong positive environmentalobjectives and orientation.The perceived impacts of the project activities from the impact analysis show that they are mostly beneficial. No perceived significant adverse impact has been registeredfor the projectactivities. However, the absorption of communal forests (dedicated forest) into the two proposedfauna corridorsand use of crop landsfor medicinalplants cultivationwould have some impactsthat need to be addressed. These impactsinclude: - Landuseconflict as a result of the communityhaving to give up potentialfarming lands in communalforest for the fauna corridorsand medicinalplant cultivation. - Conflictbetween humans and animals in the use of water and other resources. - Loss of cultural beliefs and practices - Migrationto and populationincrease around the pilot sites. The impactswould be felt in all the local communities,which derive their livelihoods from the land and especiallyfrom the communal dedicatedforests that would form part of the project sites. Northern savanna Biodiversity Conservation Project - EA Page v The women in some communities believe that provision of credit during the harvesting period would enable them to alleviate poverty through shea butter extraction,processing of dawadawaand malt and par-boilingpaddy for sale To ensure that the project objectivesare realised the following mitigation measures are proposed: - Restorationof the fertility of old farmlandsto enable substantialcrop yields from them - Provisionof funds to supportcultivation of medicinal plants and abandonedlocal crop varieties - Provisionof dams/dugoutsfor watering livestockand dry season gardening - Provision of potable water - Provision of alternative livelihood source for the communities - credit facilities especiallyfor women to go into agro-processing - Provisionof facilities and fundingfor communication,education and training - Provision of funds to build natural resourcesmanagement capacities of District Assemblies. - Restrictionof employmentfrom the projectto membersof the local communities. It is further proposedthat: - In each of the pilot communities,a community-basedland use model should be introduced that integrates well with the community's land use system, which should lead to a communityland use plan. - A baseline survey (inventory) should be conducted to identify products of commercialvalue and promotedto take the pressureoff the land. - Initiate efforts to enhance resourceavailability by locating private, indigenousor external,government or donor support. - Evolveterms and conditionsof accessto and exploitationof renewableresource; both formal and effective rules. Northern savanna Biodiversity Conservation Project - EA Page vi The socio-economicsurvey proposedunder the projectshould includethe following: - Current availabilityof renewablenatural resources- wood stock (plants, bushes, trees) pasture,soil, water and humanfood supply conditions. - Existing supply and demand situation of resources in surplus, equilibrium and deficit areas. - Identification of the nature of user communities