Land reclamation policy effectiveness in Ghana's artisanal mining sector: A perception-based study of the knowledge-compliance paradox in Bosome Freho District

A persistent assumption in reclamation policy design is that low compliance reflects insufficient awareness, yet this has not been empirically tested at the community level. This study, therefore, examines respondents’ perceptions of the effectiveness of post-mining land reclamation policies governing artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in the Bosome Freho District, Ghana. The study employed a concurrent mixed-methods design through structured surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The study is grounded in Social-Ecological Systems theory, Political Ecology, and Environmental Justice. The results reveal a critical “knowledge-compliance paradox”: 93.0% of respondents report awareness of the reclamation policy, yet 75.0% estimate operator compliance at below 41%, and only 33.0% judge current policies to be effective. These are respondent estimates, not independently verified operator behavior. This gap is documented descriptively; the regression models test predictors of perceived policy effectiveness and of environmental quality perceptions separately, and do not constitute a direct inferential test of the relationship between awareness and compliance itself. Binary logistic regression (n = 349, Nagelkerke R 2 = 0.38) identifies participation in decision-making (OR = 4.23, p < 0.001) as the strongest predictor of perceived policy effectiveness, whereas policy awareness and receipt of training are non-significant. OLS regression (n = 455, Adjusted R 2 = 0.31) shows that indigenous knowledge integration (β = 0.34, p < 0.001) and community participation (β = 0.21, p < 0.001) predict more positive perceptions of environmental quality. Qualitative findings attribute the paradox to weak enforcement linked to regulatory capture, community exclusion from policymaking, the absence of post-reclamation monitoring, and a structural mismatch between policy design and ASGM realities. Given the single-district, availability-sampled design, the findings are best read as community-level evidence rather than nationally representative; whether the pattern generalises elsewhere is a question for future research. The study provides six evidence-informed policy proposals to address legislative redesign, financial assurance, community co-governance, enforcement integrity, devolution of authority, and post-reclamation monitoring.