A systematic review of the community resource management area (CREMA) model in Ghana: implementation, outcomes, and challenges

Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) has become a central approach to biodiversity conservation in Ghana, yet evidence on the implementation and performance of Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) remains fragmented. This systematic review synthesised evidence from 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024 to examine CREMA implementation, environmental, social and economic outcomes, and sustainability challenges. The findings indicate that most studies reported positive environmental outcomes, including improved biodiversity conservation, reduced illegal resource use and strengthened community stewardship, although ecological gains varied across CREMAs because of differences in governance quality, tenure security and enforcement capacity. Social outcomes were consistently associated with enhanced community participation and local governance, while economic benefits were more heterogeneous, reflecting variation in livelihood diversification, benefit-sharing and dependence on external funding. Persistent institutional, financial and tenure-related constraints limited long-term sustainability. By integrating Institutional Theory with Ostrom's Social-Ecological Systems framework, this review demonstrates that CREMA performance is primarily determined by institutional legitimacy, adaptive governance and cross-scale coordination rather than decentralisation alone. The findings provide lessons for strengthening community-based conservation in Ghana and comparable socio-ecological systems across sub-Saharan Africa.