Addressing forest degradation and timber deficits in Ghana

Reforestation is an essential component of forest policy where forests are severely degraded and development aims are to be achieved. This is the case in Ghana, which has only 5% (395,000 hectares, or ha) of its primary forests left and where 30% of the population lives on less than a dollar per day.
This article is based on insights obtained from several studies (Hoogebosch 2010; Grupstra 2012; Insaidoo, Ros-Tonen and Acheampong in press, a; Insaidoo, Ros-Tonen and Acheampong in press, b) jointly carried out by Tropenbos International Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Amsterdam. It reviews the main characteristics and outcomes of various reforestation schemes in Ghana and identifies lessons from their successes and challenges.
Data was obtained through desk studies, open and semi-structured interviews with officials of the Forestry Commission (FC) and the Forest Plantation Development Centre and surveys among target groups. Separate male and female focus groups were held in the study villages, where elements of the Poverty-Forests Linkages Toolkit (Shepherd and Blockhus 2008) were employed to assess the relative importance of various livelihood sources.