Forest plays a major role in the socio-economic development and provide invaluable ecosystem services for the majority of people in Ghana. Ghana has about 2.5 million hectares of forest reserves. The unsustainable exploitation of forest resources and the lack of environmental awareness have devastating impact on Ghana’s forestry sector and economy.
The principal drivers of deforestation and degradation in the country are agricultural expansion, timber harvesting, urban growth and infrastructure development, mining and mineral exploitation. According to Global Forest Watch, Ghana lost 1.41Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 20% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 740Mt of CO₂e emissions from 2001 to 2021.
Globally, around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods, medicines, fuel, food and shelter. Forests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than 80% of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.
Below is a factsheet about forest (click to download)
