Living with Wildlife: Improving Livelihoods in the Mole Ecological Landscape.

The North and North-western boundaries of the Mole National Park (MNP) which border the western and eastern wildlife corridors of the MNP are the migratory highway for elephants, buffalos, hartebeest, and other species of conservation concern. The animals ply these routes to connect from Mole National Park to the Nazinga Game Reserve and the Kabore Tambi National Park in neighbouring Burkina Faso. The Chakali Sungmaaluu and Moagduri Wuntanluri Kuwomsaasi (MWK) CREMAs are in these boundaries with communities such as Tantala, Zukpani, Holomuni, Gbatala and Grumbelle among others.However, because of poor participatory management of the Mole National Park with park-fringing communities, inadequate nature-based livelihoods and low law enforcement, these ungulates (Buffalos, hartebeest, elephants) and carnivores are exposed to high levels of poaching for bushmeat and body parts trading. The trading of these wildlife body parts and bushmeat is illegal, unsustainable and is deepening the levels of poverty in the area.

As part of efforts and measures to get the community to desist from such unsustainable trade and practices, the project, ‘Living with wildlife’ seeks to train and support men and women in the two CREMAs to implement nature-based sustainable livelihood measures that will reduce poverty and inequality. The project will further increase resilience and productivity of farms by introducing and developing agroforestry system. The project will contribute to strengthening collaborative wildlife management with the park-fringing communities through building capacity and capabilities of members of the targeted CREMAs.