Issues of Tropical Forest Transformation in Ashanti Region, Ghana: Testing Traditional Perception and Assumption

Abstract

Studies have revealed that there was a dramatic loss of forests in West Africa during the 20th century due to pressure of population growth and poverty. However some scholars have challenged this view. This paper adopts a political ecology approach to argue that the dominant global discourse of tropical deforestation obscures the more complex process that contributes to changes in forest cover and landscapes. The paper examines how livelihood strategies, trade, and ecology have interacted to alter production cycles, tenure systems and the extent and composition of forest cover during the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods. Consequently, a focus on forest cover change as opposed to deforestation could provide a better understanding of the relationship between forest and forest farming systems. Subsequently, the paper suggests more effective ways of engaging in sustainable tropical forest management in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.