With almost 7.9 million hectares of forested land, Ghana’s forests account for about 35% of its total land area. Unfortunately, the country’s forests are in decline. According to John Tennyson Afele, an agroforestry researcher, agricultural expansion, fuel, mining activities, and logging are the primary causes of this decline. They are, in turn, caused by Ghana’s growing population, lack of access to sustainable energy, a burgeoning gold mining industry, and poor regulations. Unfortunately, the effects of deforestation are negative and includes biodiversity loss, climate change, soil erosion, and water scarcity. It also puts livelihoods at risk. Many of the government’s intervention programs have failed to combat the problem because of a combination of reasons, including poor enforcement, failure to address underlying causes, and difficulty in monitoring and evaluating interventions.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
