SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Following the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), this thesis examines the concept of sustainable development in the light of laws and policies relating to the forest sector of Ghana. The goal is to consider how far the relevant laws and policies are compatible with the model of sustainable development propounded in the Report and whether, in reality, that model is a feasible one for developing countries such as Ghana. The study explores the law relating to the management, protection and exploitation of forests in Ghana. Anomalies in forest laws, problems of their enforcement and proposals for reform are discussed. The history of forest legislation is briefly considered but the emphasis is on recent developments in the forest sector, including the Forest Resource Management Project, Forest Inventory Project and the work of the National Investigations Sub-Committee on Timber. Detailed inquiries into problems of forest protection in the Western Region and rural forestry initiatives in Bongo, a district in the North-East of Ghana, are made. The findings from Ghana suggest that, although in many cases reforms corresponding to the recommendations of the WCED are desirable, a number of conflicting interests operate to frustrate their implementation.