The Trust will provide resources to sustain a successful economic development project in Ghana's Central Region which focuses on tourism by showcasing the country's natural resources and preserving its historical sites. One aspect of this partnership is the development of Kakum National Park, where ecotourism is helping to conserve the region's rich ecology. Kakum National Park is a 360 square kilometer preserve in the Upper Guinean rain forest that is home to several endangered species, including the forest elephant, Diana monkey, and bongo. As one of the planet's 24 biodiversity hotspots as identified by CI, the Upper Guinean rain forest harbors a high concentration of endemic plant and animal species - those species originally found nowhere else on Earth.
Hotspots are also areas under imminent threat of destruction.
The park's boundaries also include the headwaters of four major rivers supplying water to more than 300,000 people in the region. A canopy walkway built in the tree tops of the Kakum's forest has become a major tourist attraction. Visitors to Kakum skyrocketed from zero in 1992, to 40,000 visitors in 1997. The success of Kakum National Park shows that economic growth and biodiversity conservation can go hand in hand. The endowment to the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust, will fund the continuation of services and operations at Kakum National Park and the preservation of historic monuments in the Central Region of Ghana.