Ghana

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Population

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Country size

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Forest cover

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Overview

Ghana’s remaining primary forest is heavily fragmented and found principally in the south of the country. Agricultural production and particularly cocoa for the international market is a major driver of deforestation. Looming supply chain laws in Europe, the UK and the US aim to eliminate deforestation from their imports of cocoa and other commodities. The challenge for countries like Ghana is to harness these laws in a way that supports both their development and their forest protection goals. 

Mining and logging also play a part in forest loss and degradation. Although progress has been made in tackling illegal logging, it remains a considerable problem both in the domestic market and in export supply chains. Meanwhile, logging companies often fail to fulfil their agreed social responsibilities to communities affected by logging concessions, leaving people without the land, resources or rights they were promised. 

Our Impacts

  • Since 2015, partners and local communities in Ghana have deployed our ForestLink real-time monitoring system to tackle illegal deforestation. 
  • With our support, local partners have trained over 75 communities in eight regions, who have sent thousands of alerts on illegal activity in their lands.
  • This has led to the arrests of illegal loggers, the renegotiation of dozens of social responsibility agreements (SRAs) with logging companies for the benefit of local communities as well as the official recognition of ForestLink system by Ghana’s Forestry Commission.
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Projects & Campaigns

ForestLink

Real-time community-based monitoring is a tool that connects local people with national law enforcement in an effort to stop illegal logging and deforestation.

FEATURED publications

RFUK Annual Report 2020/21

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Final Evaluation: Embedding Community Real Time Monitoring (RTM) to Sustain Livelihoods and Forests in West and Central Africa

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Real-time Forest Monitoring: Empowering Communities, Preventing Illegalities, Protecting Forests

FORESTLINK: The Future of Rainforest Protection