Community-based forest management project and effect on women’s livelihood.
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Community-based forest management project and effect on women’s livelihood.
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
At the global level, the difference in estimates of forest loss is less pronounced, but still significant. Elaine Matthiaws, a NASA scientist, attempted to estimate the world’s initial forest cover using climatically appropriate locations and compared it to the situation in 1970. She determined that the original cover had lost 15% of its worth (Cleaver et al., 1992).
According to Cleaver, the overall area of tropical forest loss per year is between 133,000 and 245,000 square kilometres. According to surveys, the rate of deforestation in emerging countries is increasing. West Africa, for example, has an average yearly deforestation rate of 3.7 percent or more (Harrison, 1992).
According to Danso and Opoku (2005), Ghana’s forest sector governance has undergone a series of historical changes that have gradually disempowered and denied benefits and rights to one of the industry’s most crucial players, fringe communities.
The Forest Commission is in charge of ensuring that forests be managed in such a way that they produce “a constant flow of benefits to all segments of society,” according to the Forest and Wildfire Policy (1994). The Forestry Commission’s Resource Management Support Centre’s Collaborative Resource Management Unit (CRMU) was established.
We are responsible for ensuring that all stakeholders in forest management share their obligations, responsibilities, and benefits. Community Forest Committees (CFCs), NTFP production and management, the development of a District Forestry Forum, and forest-dependent livelihoods (boundary cleaning, Modified Taungya Systems, and so on) were tested across the majority of Ghana’s forest zones to ensure their effectiveness.
The FSD’s collaborative Resource Management Unit (CRMU) has issued proposals for developing Community Forest Committees (CFC). Women’s participation in forest governance is required to overcome crises
according to the guidelines, due to their relationship with forest resources. Non-governmental organisations, such as the Rural Development and Youth Association (RUDEYA), have been tasked with promoting its growth and recognition.
Statement of the Problem
According to the 2000 Population and Housing Census Report, rural towns account for 56% of the country’s population. High population expansion within forest zones causes an increase in demand for forest resources and farmland.
Forest encroachment, which leads to excessive logging of wood and non-timber forest products, as well as bushfires, is a result of the stress on these two essential land use systems. Ghana’s forest resources are decreasing at an alarming rate.
Between 1955 and 1972, about one-third of Ghana’s forest was lost, with an average annual rate of deforestation of 750 square kilometres since the turn of the century.
70% of Ghanaians rely on forest resources for a living, and crises cause hardship for inhabitants, the majority of whom are women (Forest Governance Livelihood Group, 2005).
Rural women, who manage natural resources such as water, soil, food, wood, fuel, and land on a daily basis, will be most affected.
They will most certainly suffer significant consequences as a result of their access to non-timber forest products as a source of food and revenue from the forest.
A number of factors have contributed to forest degradation, including a lack of incentives for women to manage local forest resources. Forest-dependent rural women have been excluded from decision-making processes involving forest resource management, access to, and benefits from forest resources, which could improve their lives.
Despite the fact that the 1994 Forest and Wildlife Policy emphasises the need to “promote public awareness and involvement of rural people in forestry and wildlife conservation to maintain life-sustaining systems, preserve scenic areas, and enhance the potential for income generation opportunities,” there is still a lack of information flow and collaboration among the numerous forest stakeholders.
Rural women in forest edge communities (and the general public) lack the necessary information about the situation, their constitutional rights, and how to use those rights in order to take action.
According to Arthur and Brogan, donor pressure has prompted the Forestry Commission to create a forest service charter and construct District Forest Forums (DFFs), community forest committees (CFCs), and customer service centres in specified locations.
These structures, on the other hand, are kept in the dark regarding policy developments, the realities of timber distribution, and logging methods, all of which are determined in the corridors of power (Arthur and Brogan, 2005).
Ghana’s forests contribute significantly to the country’s socioeconomic development. The forestry industry (dominated by the timber sector) is enormous.
Ghana’s domestic and export profits are significant sources of cash. It is also essential for environmental stability. Forests store carbon, protect vital watersheds, and prevent siltation and flooding by providing a habitat for wildlife.
However, in recent years, the forestry sector has been subjected to a variety of impacts and pressures, threatening both the long-term viability of timber resources and certain species, as well as the sector’s ability to contribute to the country’s socioeconomic development and environmental preservation, with rural women bearing the brunt of the damage.
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