Cocoa beans drying in the sun in a village in Kakum National Park, Ghana
Ghana lost 75
percent of its forest cover between 1900 and 2010, and 2 percent of its forests
continue to disappear every year. The conversion of forests to other land uses
is the biggest driver of this deforestation, with agriculture estimated to be
responsible for half of all clearances.
However, the legislative framework governing the country’s
forests wasn’t designed with widespread conversion in mind. Regulations are
increasingly outdated, creating a lack of clarity that is fuelling
illegality and damaging forests, according to environmental law firm Client
Earth.
The study found that illegal mining and agricultural
activities are taking place in forest reserves with impunity. For example,
Ghana has for years experienced widespread illegality in the conversion of
forest reserves for cocoa
production. A lack of coordination between different ministries makes it
difficult for regulators to enforce laws. As a result, “farmers and miners
working at all scales in or near forest reserves are often not caught and punished
for illegally encroaching on forests,” the study concludes.
