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，而且火灾对加纳北部的当地社区具有微妙的文化、精神、生态和经济重要性，但政府的政策仍然坚持简单的说法，即火灾对稀树草原生态系统构成干扰。加纳政府和非政府组织为促进稀树草原地区的保护而制定的灭火政策和方案在那些依靠这些火灾谋生的人中引起了强烈的不公平感和怨恨。因此，科学地了解火灾的驱动因素以及消防管理政策如何影响缓解这些地区不同资源用户群体之间冲突的更广泛努力，对于制定更公平的办法是必要的。因此，这项研究的主要目的是了解加纳北部稀树草原林地变化的火力制度和政策的复杂权衡，以及这些政策是否导致社会不平等。为了实现这一目标，该研究将采用政治生态学的方法来分析资源获取中的权力和决策问题。这项研究将采用混合方法，利用遥感技术和当地生态学知识来分析烧伤区的驱动因素和趋势，并结合主要信息提供人访谈、参与性研究方法和利益攸关方讲习班，探讨在国家和地方各级进行有效火灾管理所需的体制安排。

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.