Contested fire management: Understanding the trade-offs between traditional and government approaches to fire management and their implications for co

尽管有科学证据，以及对加纳北部当地社区细微差别的文化、精神、生态和经济重要性，但政府的政策仍然倾向于简单的叙述，即火灾构成了对热带草原生态系统的干扰。加纳政府和非政府组织为促进稀树大草原地区的保护而制定的防火政策和计划，在那些依靠这些火灾为生的人们中引起了越来越多的不公正感和怨恨。因此，科学地了解火灾的驱动因素以及火灾管理政策如何影响这些地区不同资源用户群体之间的冲突，对于制定更公平的方法是必要的。因此，本研究的主要目的是了解加纳北部稀树草原林地火灾制度和政策变化的复杂权衡，以及这些政策是否会导致社会不平等。为了实现这一目标，本研究将采用政治生态学方法来分析资源获取中的权力和决策问题。该研究将采用混合方法，利用遥感技术和当地生态知识来分析烧伤地区的驱动因素和趋势，并结合关键线人访谈、参与式研究方法和利益相关者研讨会，探索国家和地方各级有效火灾管理所需的制度安排。

Despite the scientific evidence as well as the nuancedcultural, spiritual, ecological and economic importance offires for local communities in northern Ghana, governmentpolicies still embrace the simplistic narrative that fireconstitutes a disturbance to savanna ecosystems. Theantifire policies and programmes instituted by theGovernment of Ghana and Non-government Organisationsto promote conservation in savanna areas have induced agrowing sense of injustice and resentment among thosewhose livelihoods depend on these fires. Therefore, ascientific understanding of the drivers of fires and how firemanagement policies impact wider efforts to mitigateconflict between different resource user groups in theseareas, is necessary for developing more equitableapproaches. Hence, the main objective of this study is tounderstand the complex trade-offs of shifting fire regimesand policies in the savanna woodlands of northern Ghanaand whether these policies result in social inequities. Toachieve this, the study will adopt a political ecologyapproach to analyse the issue of power and decision inresource access. The study will employ mixed methods,using remote sensing techniques and local ecologicalknowledge to analyse drivers and trends in patches of burntareas, and a combination of key informant interviews,participatory research methods and stakeholder workshopsto explore institutional arrangements necessary foreffective fire management at national and local levels.