The remote fishing and farming villages of Wechiau in north-west Ghana flank the Black Volta River, home to Ghana's sole remaining hippo population. The hippos need easy access to on-shore feeding grounds, but farms and fishing areas are encroaching on the hippo lawns by the riverbanks. As a result, the animals come into regular conflict with villagers and are seen as pests because they destroy crops and inhabit waters where fishermen work. Measures taken by local people to protect farms and fishing equipment threaten the hippos' continued existence.

Realising the danger, the people of Wechiau established a Community Hippo Sanctuary three years ago to protect the last remaining hippos and develop eco-tourism. The charity Earthwatch is helping the community and the Ghanaian Nature Conservation Research Centre to execute a detailed ecological survey, by providing funds and a workforce of Ghanaian scientists and Earthwatch volunteers from around the world.

Volunteers spend two weeks closely examining the hippos' feeding habits, and studying other flora and fauna. They stay in simple but comfortable tourist lodges nearby. The area has minimal western influence: a cook prepares local cuisine and villagers often invite volunteers to traditional celebrations.

Decisions about development are made by the sanctuary management committee, on which Wechiau's people are represented and which recently received the Ghana Tourist Board's Community Initiative of the Year Award. Using Earthwatch's research, the committee will develop the sanctuary's eco-tourism potential. Areas damaged by farming, over-fishing and bushfires will be mapped for replanting. Studies of the hippos' behaviour and needs will show which areas of the environment should be protected and which could be carefully developed with minimal-impact camps, trails and observatory decks.

Both Earthwatch and the community are determined that when tourism takes off, the sanctuary won't suffer and the benefits will go directly to the people.