| Digya National Park | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana |
| Coordinates | 7°25′N 0°17′W / 7.417°N 0.283°W |
| Area | 3,743 km² |
| Established | 1971 |
Digya National Park is the second largest national park and the oldest protected area in Ghana. It is located in the Brong-Ahafo Region. It was created in 1900 and given national park status in 1971. The park is the only wildlife territory in Ghana to have Lake Volta at its borders.
Geography edit
Spanning 3,743 square kilometers, the park is the second largest national park in Ghana. It is in the Brong-Ahafo Region and is bordered on the north, south, and east by Lake Volta.[1] Located on a lowland peninsular, it has an undulating terrain.[2] It is located in a transitional area between a forest and savanna.[3]
History edit
Digya National Park was created in 1900 as a protected area, making this park the oldest protected area in Ghana.[1] It was acquired by the government[4] and gazetted as a national park in 1971.[1] When the government acquired the park, there were living settlements in the park, with most of the residents being fishermen and farmers. In 2006, there were 49 settlements and the government of Ghana began evicting settlement residents from the park.[4] In early 2005, a patrol-based system was established in the park in to curb illegal activity.[5]
Wildlife edit
The park is home to at least six primate species[6] and elephants belonging to some of the less studied species in Africa. The elephant population in the park is the second largest in Ghana.[7] There are also manatees and clawless otters in arms of Lake Volta that extend into Digya National Park. More than 236 species of birds live in the park.[1] This park is the only wildlife territory in Ghana to have Lake Volta, the largest man-made lake and body of water in the country, at its border.[1][6]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Digya National Park". Ghana Wildlife Division. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Ghana National Parks". Guide for Africa. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Digya National Park". ABACA Tours. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ a b Boyefio, Gilbert (11 April 2007). "Digya National Park, residents lives far from normal". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Jachmann, Hugo (January 2008). "Monitoring law-enforcement performance in nine protected areas in Ghana" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 141 (1). Elsevier: 89–99. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2007.09.012. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
Previous studies showed that the amount of illegal activity predominantly depends on resource allocation for law enforcement, in terms of staff density, patrol effort and fund- ing (Leader-Williams and Albon, 1988; Leader-Williams et al., 1990; Dublin and Jachmann, 1992; Jachmann and Billiouw, 1997; Jachmann, 1998, 2002)...Early 2005, the same system was established in Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve and in Digya National Park (Fig. 1).
- ^ a b "Ghana National Parks". Palace Travel. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ Kumordzi, Bright B. (2008). "An elephant survey in Digya National Park, Ghana, and implications for conservation and management". Pachyderm. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
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