Atiwa (Board Game)

The Atiwa Range is a region of southeastern Ghana in Africa consisting ofsteep-sided hills with rather flat summits. A large portion of the rangecomprises an evergreen forest reserve, which is home to many endangered species.However, logging and hunting for bushmeat, as well as mining for gold andbauxite, are putting the reserve under a lot of pressure.

Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Kibi, the mayor is causing a stir by givingshelter to a large number of fruit bats in his own garden. This man hasrecognized the great value the animals have in deforested regions of our planet:Fruit bats sleep during the day and take off at sunset in search of food,looking for suitable fruit trees up to sixty miles away. They excrete the seedsof the consumed fruit, disseminating them across large areas as they fly home.A single colony of 150,000 fruit bats can reforest an area of up to twothousand acres a year.

Just like that mayor, in Atiwa, you know that fruit bats — once scornedand hunted as mere fruit thieves — are in fact incredibly useful animals,spreading seeds over large areas of the country. By doing so, they help toreforest fallow land and, in the medium term, improve harvests. This realizationhas led to a symbiotic co-operation between fruit bats and fruit farmers. Theanimals are kept as “pets” to increase the size of fruit farms more quickly.Tall trees are left as roosts, providing shelter for them rather than huntingthem for their scant meat. However, if you have a lot of fruit bats, you need alot of space…

In the game, you will develop a small community near the Atiwa Range,creating housing for new families and sharing your newly gained knowledge on thenegative effects of mining and the importance that the fruit bats have for theenvironment. You must acquire new land, manage your animals and resources, andmake your community prosper. The player who best balances the needs of theircommunity and the environment wins.