Community-based natural resource management has been accused of failing on social, economic or ecological grounds. Over 20 years of NCRC-led work in Ghana show that the CREMA model has improved local livelihoods by spurring economic diversification and infrastructure development at rates 2–8 times higher than in surrounding communities. Simultaneously, threats to biodiversity have subsided, keystone species numbers have grown, and rich biodiversity habitats now harbour more bird species than comparable areas surrounding the CREMA. Improved social capital, true empowerment, an equitable distribution of benefits, ecological awareness among children, and support for the CREMA—even amongst community members who were disadvantaged by its creation—speak to long-term prospects. Key to the success of the CREMA model has been its economic sustainability built on ecologically dependent economic activities including non-timber forest product harvesting and tourism.