Kakum Conservation Area is Ghana’s first national park and consists mainly of tall hardwood rainforest communities. The 350 km² forest park is home to several rare and endemic species, including porcupines, squirrels, olive colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red river hogs, tree hyraxes, and forest elephants.

Although the park is under ongoing protection, there is limited understanding of its ecological status—an essential component for monitoring changes in this critical habitat and planning for potential future climate-related threats under projected climate scenarios.

In collaboration with the Ghana Wildlife Division, the current project aims to uncover the forest's ecological history and its response to past disturbances, degree of resilience particularly to climate change. The project will also explore human cultural practices that may support the conservation of the rainforest in the future.