PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 16 PRA for people and parks: the case of Mole National Park, Ghana

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 16 PRA for people and parks: the case of Mole National Park, Ghana John J. Mason and Elijah Y. Danso Introduction We found a situation of mistrust, resentment, and in certain villages outright antagonism In 1993 we used Participatory Rural Appraisal toward GWD. Six villages were evicted from (PRA) to assess people's perceptions of the the park in 1964 and resettled in the benefits and difficulties of their life near Mole surrounding area. The eviction, together with National Park1. The assessment was meant to the general loss of access to traditional initiate a planning process involving local hunting, gathering, farming areas and religious people in the on-going management of the sites, were expressed as the main sources of park. The output of the work is being these feelings. Our challenge was to build new incorporated in the overall park management bridges between the communities and GWD. plan. PRA was the most appropriate approach offering opportunities of restoring a level of This article is written to encourage others trust, dignity and respect. working in wildlife issues to consider PRA approaches in all aspects of `peoples and Methods parks' research. At times it is difficult to ...