Ghana forest and wildlife handbook: A compendium of information about forests and wildlife resources, forestry-related issues and wood processing in Ghana

Abstract

The Forestry Commission of Ghana is responsible for the regulation of forest and wildlife resources utilization, conservation and management and the coordination of policies related to them. As part of its policy of contributing in a timely manner to public debate on issues related to forest and wildlife resources, the Forestry Commission is committed to providing information on the status of these resources through the publication of a Forest & Wildlife Resources Handbook. Such information increases our understanding and knowledge of the status of forest and wildlife resources and provides a basis for informed debate on how best to encourage sustainable forest management. Ghana’s quest for sustainable forest management, which dates back to the early 1900’s, has largely involved enactment of legislations, policy reforms and other legal approaches for the control of forestry activities. In the mid 1990’s, reforms in the forestry sector culminated in the 1994 Forest and Wildlife Policy, and the 1996 Forestry Development Master Plan (1996 – 2020). These and other recent regulatory tools and mechanisms have been the main driving force that has spurred Ghana to work towards sustainable forest management over the past decades. This Handbook is a compendium of information about forests and wildlife resources, forestry and wood processing in Ghana. It includes information on environmental and social aspects of forests and other related issues. This Forest & Wildlife Resources Handbook is the first comprehensive compilation of forestry information in Ghana in a single volume. The Handbook is intended to serve as a credible source of information on the resources managed by the Forestry Commission on behalf of its numerous stakeholders and the general public at large. This Handbook should serve as an important reference book for various users. It is worth mentioning that this maiden edition of the Forest & Wildlife Resources Handbook had relied entirely on existing information compiled from various sources into one volume. The sources include published and unpublished literature as well as consultancy and study reports, and project documentation. The information in this publication has been subjected to a review process by experts in the field of forestry and wildlife. Attempts were made to have a comprehensive coverage of all aspects relating to the management, utilization and conservation of forest and wildlife resources. However, there are some areas where comprehensive data are currently not available. Furthermore, as a national output, this publication concentrates on topics and areas for which the available data is of regional or national significance.