RESEARCH NEEDS FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA PRODUCTION IN GHANA
Hunting
Research needs:
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Will hunting increase if biodiversity on the farms increases?
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To what extent do people depend on hunting for their protein? How can this be reduced?
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How can the capacity of the FSD staff on site be improved to guard the reserves from hunting?
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Can education help in reducing hunting pressure on the farms and in reserves?
Hunting poses a great threat to biodiversity conservation. In rural areas people often depend on wildlife for their protein intake, though bush meat consumption has decreased due to the Ebola outbreak in other West African countries (Anon., personal communication). It is thought that farmers in Southern Ghana attract animals to their farm to trap them, in contrast to farmers in Northern regions who scare animals off the farm (Anon., personal communication). It is thus very important to reduce on farm hunting of animals, otherwise increased biodiversity on cocoa farms will only increase the hunting pressure.