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Ghana Wildlife Society
gws_logo.gifThe Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS) is our key partner in the Amansuri wetland. It is a non profit, non governmental organisation. Its aim is to conserve Ghanean wildlife and biodiversity and to ensure a better environment and improved quality of life for people, through the following:

  • Initiating and supporting projects which address specific environmental problems.
  • Public awareness and conservation education programmes.
  • Promoting the conservation of protected areas.
  • Encouraging research on wildlife and environmental protection and conservation.
GWS is the Birdlife International partner in Ghana.

It is currently running various projects in Ghana, the major ones being the following:

Amansuri Conservation and Integrated Development (ACID) Project

The Amansuri Conservation and Integrated Development (ACID) Project focuses on the conservation and management of the Amansuri wetland, a relatively pristine complex consisting of a fresh water lagoon, swamp forests, forests, grasslands and rivers. The Amansuri wetland has the most extensive remaining stand of intact swamp forest in Ghana. It has been classified as an Important Bird Area, and it also meets the criteria of the Ramsar Convention as Wetland of International Importance. However, its official designation as Ramsar site is still pending.

It is in the context of this wider effort in Amansuri that the GWS and Microsfere have agreed to join their forces and implement the microcreditproject in the communities within the wetland. In fact, Microsfere will reinforce GWS's past Small Enterprise Development and Support Fund (SEDSF) project, through additional funds and a different microcredit approach.

Inventory of Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

As the Birdlife International partner in Ghana, GWS is heavily involved in the identification and monitoring of Important Birds Areas (IBAs). These are nationally and globally important areas for birds, which also provide an indicator of the diversity and conservation status of the environment on a site-by-site basis. In order for a site to be classified as an IBA, it must fulfil one or more of the following three conditions:
  • It holds significant numbers of one or more globally threatened species.
  • It is part of a set of sites that together hold a suite of restricted-range species or biome-restricted species.
  • It has exceptionally large numbers of migratory or congregatory species.
For more information on IBAs, please check the Birdlife International IBA webpage.

Afadjato Community Forest Conservation Project

The Afadjato Community Forest Conservation Project (ACFCP) was initiatedin 1998 by the Chiefs and People of the Gbledi Traditional Area as a result of their increasing concern about the degradation of the forest on the Mount Afadjato and adjoining ranges. Mount Afadjato is the highest mountain in Ghana, and is located in the Volta region, near the Togolese border.
 
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