RESEARCH NEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA
Fallow Lands & Sacred Groves
Research needs:
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What is the contribution of sacred groves to biodiversity conservation and connectivity in the landscape?
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To what extent are sacred groves protected from degradation/deforestation? Can protection be improved?
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What is the contribution of fallow lands to biodiversity conservation and connectivity in the landscape? Can this be enhanced?
Sacred groves are patches of the land that are considered to be the “abode of local gods, ancestral spirits and other super natural beings” (Sarfo-Mensah, Fredua, Oduro, & Amisah, 2010) and should be protected from most human interference, but can for example be used as burial grounds. As such, these parts of the landscape should be free from logging, hunting and other harmful practices and can therefore contribute to biodiversity conservation in the landscape. However, in practice this might not always be the case. The project by Rainforest Alliance includes enrichment planting of sacred groves, with the primary purpose to enhance carbon stocks, though this could also increase their value for biodiversity conservation.
Fallow lands are getting scarcer due to increased land scarcity (Anon., personal communication) and tenure insecurity increases the need to cultivate all parts of the land.