• Akwamu Gorge

    Objectives, Main Areas

  • Project Activities

    Reforestation, Marketing

  • Threats to Project

    Poaching, Farming

  • Project Area

    Operational Area, Map

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Akwamu Gorge Conservation Trust

The Akwamu Hills Community forest is an ungazzetted forest located between Atimpoku and Akwamufie on the eastern side of Volta River in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region. The hill on which the forest is located rises to height of about 400 metres above sea level and forms the southern limit of the Akwapim-Togo Range at the interface with the Akwapim Plateau within the Volta Gorge. The hill provides a rare panoramic view of the lower regions of the Volta River system. The community forest is owned jointly by a number of royal families in the Akwamu Traditional Area.

The forest has sub-montane vegetation at the crest of the hills, which comprises a mixture of Dry Semi-deciduous and Southern Marginal forest types characterised by rather short trees and relatively dense canopy dominated by Hymenostegia afzelii. Antiaris toxicaria and Ceiba pentandra are common emergent trees forming a discontinuous upper canopy. Dominant characteristic species of these forest types include Teclea verdoorniana, Drypetes parvifolia, Diospyros abyssinica, Dialium guineense, Triplochiton scleroxylon, Sterculia tragacantha, Celtis zenkeri, Cola millenii and Pterygota macrocarpa, Lecaniodiscus cupanioides.

Protected loosely by local traditional and cultural arrangements, the community forest is under intense pressure from the numerous fringe communities for variety of non-timber forest products including bushmeat. This notwithstanding, the fauna diversity of the forest is quite impressive. About 20 species of medium to large mammals including about five primates are known to occur in the community forest and adjoining areas. Some of the large mammal species that occur in the forest include western pied colobus monkey, olive colobus monkey, Mona monkey, red river hog, maxwell's duiker, bay duiker, royal antelope, long-tailed and tree pangolins and the African golden cat. A total of about 150 bird species have been confirmed in the forest and the adjoining areas, with the globally threatened and enigmatic white-necked picathartes being the most significant amongst them. Other bird species commonly seen in the forest include the black-winged oriole, guinea turaco, violet turaco, white-throated greenbul, gross-beak finch, Narina's trogon etc. The flora and fauna diversity of the forest coupled with the aesthetic beauty of the Akwamu Hill ranges and the Volta River system are great enhancements to the ecotourism potential of the area.

The Royal Senchi in collaboration with the Akwamu Traditional Council, acting through the Akwamu George Conservation Trust (AGCT) is working with reputable local and international consultants and organizations to conserve the ecological integrity and aesthetic beauty of the Akwamu Hills Community Forest by developing its ecotourism potential. The Royal Senchi hopes to achieve a long term conservation of the community forest by developing it into a first class ecotourism destination. It is envisaged that ecotourism activities in the forest and the surrounding areas would ensure sustainable benefit flow to the chiefs and people of the Akwamu Traditional Area.

Objectives of Project
The Akwamu Hills Community Forest Project is a biodiversity sustenance activity with the following objectives among others:
  1. Conserve the Akwamu community forest to enhance the ecological integrity and the biological diversity of the Akwamu portion of the Volta basin.
  2. Secure and protect the habitat of the globally threatened White-necked Picathartes, Picathartes gymnocephalus within the community forest;
  3. Promote the biodiversity of the Akwamu Traditional Area with a well conceived interpretative centre;
  4. Develop and implement responsible eco-tourism in the area to create jobs and enhance the economic status of the local communities.
  5. Support local communities in attaining improved economic wellbeing through direct and indirect participation in the ecotourism and related activities.
  6. Promote the museum of history and culture at Akwamufie, to enhance the profile of the Akwamu Traditional Area
Responsible Tourism
The Akwamu Hills Community Forest Project is a biodiversity sustenance activity with the following objectives among others:
  1. Extending the 'product offer' of The Royal Senchi, extending the 'product offer' of the area and creating self sustaining 'business' in it's own right;
  2. Conserving the fauna and flora of the partially, degraded 3,000ha site
  3. Preserving the rights of the local population - by limiting the scale of the agreed boundaries of the site so that existing individual constructions and agricultural activities are not interfered with to any great degree;
  4. Enhancing the collective livelihoods of the communities Akwamu Traditional Area, accelerating poverty alleviation pace and influencing pro-poor thinking into local economic development;
  5. Creating a 'shared value model' of integrated sustainable development that is; socially, economically and environmentally responsible, makes business sense, and that like-minded entrepreneurs and/or Government can replicate across Ghana.
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