Adverse Effects of Human Activities on Forest Reserves in Ghana: Lessons of Experience from the Yenku Forest Reserve in the Central Region

This study examines the threat posed to sustainable forest management of human activities of communities within the Yenku Forest Reserve in the Central Region of Ghana. The reserve was identified for the study because it is the largest forest reserve has the highest number of fringe communities and is one of the most degraded forest reserve in the Winneba Forest District. Da, and observations and semi-structured were deployed for soliciting series of individual semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and observations were deployed to solicit data from residents within the fringe communities of the Yenku forest reserve. The findings of the study are that farming, charcoal burning, hunting, and harvesting of non-timber forest products are the major human activities and constitute the livelihood and survival of the fringe communities. The consequence of these human activities is the continuous degradation of the land, a decline of soil fertility, soil erosion, deforestation, and forest degradation, wildfires, and depletion of wildlife. The interviewees reported that they have little or no role to play when the issue of sustainability comes up in the management of the Yenku Forest Reserve. It emerged from the study findings that traditional authorities within the fringe communities and all relevant stakeholders needed to be actively engaged in the making of decisions regarding the Yenku forest reserve so as to integrate local peoples’ knowledge and livelihood objectives and strategies into the choices made and to improve the management of forest resources.