Kyabobo 1994

Jen Hurst

The Oxford University Kyabobo '94 expedition which showed that Ghana's newly formed Kyabobo National Park has a unique mixture of forest and savanna wildlife, with many rare and endangered species. The resultant follow-up initiative - the Kyabobo Conservation Project - was registered as an international non-governmental organisation in Ghana and aimed to combine wildlife conservation with schemes sympathetic to the livelihoods and security of the villages on the edge of the Park. It has since flourished into a five-year programme of biodiversity monitoring, community-based projects, conservation awareness, educational resources, social research and training programmes. It is run by voluntary staff and works closely with the Ghanian Wildlife Department and local/international non-governmental organisations. The first phase ended in August 1996, with achievemnts including the discovery of a new species of butterfly for science, the creation of 25 wildlife clubs for children, the revision of the national park boundaries, the production of a newsletter and extensive work with local communities to construct a future management plan.