Policymakers and international organizations are making the conscious effort to address climate change through afforestation and sustainable ecosystem management. Economic activities including agriculture, mining, and infra-structure improvement to meet basic human needs continuously degrade the natural and forest resources. The rate of deforestation in Ghana is alarming due to over-reliance on forest resources by forest-dependent communities. Perceived causes of deforestation differ from individuals and groups perspec-tive. This depends on factors including environmental knowledge, education level, market demand and socio-economic activities. Simple random sampling and key informant interview with the aid of semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the indigenes of Sissala West District to determine their perceptions of causes of deforestation. The study indicated that poverty, high illiteracy, population growth and lack of alternative source of livelihood were the indirect causes which trigger livelihood economic activities such as farming, charcoal burning, wood logging and hunting leading to degradation of the ecosystem. It was also realized that majority of the indigenes are uneducated and this contributes to their unawareness of rate of de-forestation. Recommendations suggested to address challenges were enforce-ment of bye-laws and stringent government environmental policies to deter people from degrading the forest. Education, agroforestry, afforestation, and provision of alternative livelihood were also good interventions suggested.
References
[1]
FAO (2010) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010. Main Report, FAO Forestry Paper 163. FAO, Rome.
[2]
FAO (2011) State of the World’s Forests 2011. http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i2000e/i2000e00.htm
[3]
Kurz, W.A. (2010) An Ecosystem Context for Global Gross Forest Cover Loss Estimates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107, 9025-9026. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1004508107
[4]
Gupta, J. (2012) Glocal Forest, and REDD+ Governance: Win-Win or Lose-Lose? Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 4, 620-627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.09.014
[5]
Shackleton, S., Paumgarten, F., Kassa, H., Husselman, M. and Zida, M. (2011) Opportunities for Enhancing Poor Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Value Chains of Three African Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). International Forestry Review, 13, 136-151. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554811797406642
[6]
Maroto, C., Segura, M., Ginestar, C., Uriol, J. and Segura, B. (2013) Sustainable Forest Management in a Mediterranean Region: Social Preferences. Forest Systems, 22, 546-558. https://doi.org/10.5424/fs/2013223-04135
[7]
Aicher, C. (2014) Discourse Practices in Environmental Governance: Social and Ecological Safeguards of REDD. Biodiversity and Conservation, 23, 3543-3560. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0812-5
[8]
De Brucker, K., Macharis, C. and Verbeke, A. (2013) Multi-Criteria Analysis and the Resolution of Sustainable Development Dilemmas: A Stakeholder Management Approach. European Journal of Operational Research, 224, 122-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2012.02.021
[9]
Nielsen, J.O. and Reenberg, A. (2010) Cultural Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study from Northern Burkina Faso. Global Environmental Change, 20, 142-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.10.002
[10]
Federici, S., Tubiello, F.N., Salvatore, M., Jacobs, H. and Schmidhuber, J. (2015) New Estimates of CO2 Forest Emissions and Removals: 1990-2015. Forest Ecology and Management, 352, 89-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.04.022
[11]
Vedeld, P., Angelsen, A., Bojö, J., Sjaastad, E. and Berg, G.K. (2007) Forest Environmental Incomes and the Rural Poor. Forest Policy and Economics, 9, 869-879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2006.05.008
[12]
Charles, A. and Jasper, Y.D. (2016) Forest Fringe Communities Participation in Forest Reserve Sustainability in Ghana. Open Journal of Forestry, 6, 94-105.
[13]
Etwire, P.M., Al-hassan, R.M., Kuwornu, J.K.M. and Osei-Owusu, Y. (2013) Application of Livelihood Vulnerability Index in Assessing Vulnerability and Climate Change in Northern Ghana. Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 3, 157-170.
[14]
Acquah, H.D. (2011) Farmers’ Perception and Adaptation to Climate Change: A Willingness to Pay Analysis. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 13, 150-161.
[15]
Donkor, E., Matthew, E., Jnr, O., Prah, B.E.K., Amoah, A.S. and Mohammed, Y. (2016) Estimation and Mapping of Carbon Stocks in Bosomkese Forest Reserve. International Journal of Remote Sensing Applications, 6, 41-52. https://doi.org/10.14355/ijrsa.2016.06.005
[16]
Armah, F.A., Odoio, J.O., Yengoh, G.T., Obiri, S., Yawson, D.O. and Afrifa, E.K.A. (2010) Food Security and Climate Change in Drought-Sensitive Savanna Zones of Ghana. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 16, 291-306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9263-9
[17]
Adusei, C. and Dunyah, J.Y. (2016) Forest Fringe Communities Participation in Forest Reserve Sustainability in Ghana. Open Journal of Forestry, 6, 94-105. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojf.2016.62009
[18]
Veuthey, S. and Gerber, J.F. (2010) Logging Conflicts in Southern Cameroon: A Feminist Ecological Economics Perspective. Ecological Economics, 70, 170-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.09.012
[19]
Dhakal, S. and Sedhain, G.K. (2016) Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Practices in Agriculture: A Case Study of Rautahat District, Nepal. Climate, 4, 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli4040063
[20]
Goldberg, J.I. and Borgen, P.I. (2006) Breast Cancer Susceptibility Testing: Past, Present, and Future. Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy, 6, 1205-1214. https://doi.org/10.1586/14737140.6.8.1205
[21]
Williams, C.A., Collatz, G.J., Masek, J. and Goward, S.N. (2012) Carbon Consequences of Forest Disturbance and Recovery across the Conterminous United States. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 26, GB1005. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GB003947
[22]
Maryudi, A., Devkota, R.R., Schuster, C., Yufanyi, C., Salla, M., Aurenhammer, H., Rotchanaphatharawit, R. and Krott, M. (2011) Back to Basics: Considerations in Evaluating the Outcomes of Community Forestry. Forest Policy and Economics, 14, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2011.07.017
[23]
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007) Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. The Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva.
[24]
Bradford, J.B., Jensen, N.R., Domke, G.M. and D’Amato, A.W. (2013) Potential Increases in Natural Disturbance Rates Could Offset Management Impacts on Ecosystem Carbon Stocks. Forest Ecology and Management, 308, 178-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.07.042
[25]
Chhatre, A. and Agrawal, A. (2009) Trade-Offs and Synergies between Carbon Storage and Livelihood Benefits from Forest Commons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106, 17667-17670. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0905308106
[26]
Boon, E. and Ahhenken, A. (2007) Conservation and Management of Biodiversity in West Africa—Case Study of Ghana in Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. UNESCO, Paris.
[27]
Heinimann, A., Hett, C., Hurni, K., Messerli, P., Epprecht, M., Jørgensen, L. and Breu, T. (2013) Socio-Economic Perspectives on Shifting Cultivation Landscapes in Northern Laos. Human Ecology, 41, 51-62.
[28]
Siry, J., Cubbage, F., Newman, D. and Izlar, B. (2010) Forest Ownership and Management Outcomes in the U.S. in Global Context. International Forestry Review, 12, 38-48. https://doi.org/10.1505/ifor.12.1.38
[29]
Cadman, T. and Maraseni, T. (2013) More Equal than Others? A Comparative Analysis of State and Non-State Perceptions of Interest Representation and Decision-Making in REDD+ Negotiations. Innovation, 26, 214-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2013.771880
[30]
Siry, J.P., Frederick, K.M., Cubbage, W. and Bettinger, P. (2015) Forest Tenure and Sustainable Forest Management. Open Journal of Forestry, 5, 526-545.
[31]
Fosu-Mensah, B.Y., Vlek, P.L.G. and MacCarthy, D.S. (2012) Farmers’ Perceptions and Adaptation to Climate Change: A Case Study of Sekyere Dumase District in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 14, 495-505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-012-9339-7
[32]
Feldspausch, T.R., Lloyd, J., Lewis, S.L., et al. (2012) Tree Height Integrated into Pantropical Forest Biomass Estimates. Biogeosciences, 9, 3381-3403. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-3381-2012
[33]
McKinley, D.C., Ryan, M.G., Birdsey, R.A., Giardina, C.P., Harmon, M.E., Heath, L.S., Houghton, R.A., Jackson, R.B., Morrison, J.F., Murray, B.C., Pataki, D.E. and Skog, K.E. (2011) A Synthesis of Current Knowledge on Forests and Carbon Storage in the United States. Ecological Applications, 21, 1902-1924. https://doi.org/10.1890/10-0697.1
