Abstract

Deforestation in Ghana over some decades now has undoubtedly destabilized the socio-economic and socio-cultural importance of the forests for a large number of rural people especially, forest fringe communities who directly depend on the resource to support their livelihood. The assessment identifies activities such as; agricultural expansion, unsustainable wood harvesting, population and development pressures, mining and mineral exploitation as the principal drivers of deforestation in Ghana. Although deforestation is having negative effects on the nation in many ways, some communities derive their livelihood from it through their access to forest resources like Fuelwood for sale. Forest conservation policies in Ghana were discussed and further highlighted limitation of skills and surveillance instruments, cultural and customs drawbacks, policy limitations and climate change as the challenges to sustainable forest management in Ghana.  The study recommends that scientists as well as policy makers scrutinize the extent to which the issue of deforestation is affecting the country’s economy and her environment, and revise, and where necessary formulate new policies that will help in the conservation of Ghana’s Forests. Furthermore, attention be paid to the adoption of a bottom-up approach in Forest management through the proper inclusion and involvement of the various stakeholders in the conservation and management processes at the community level.

Key Words: Forests, Deforestation, Management, Sustainability, Ghana