Compiled and Edited by:
Kwame A. Oduro, Akwasi Duah-Gyamfi, Stella B. Acquah, Victor K. Agyeman

The Forestry Commission of Ghana is responsible for the regulation of forest and wildlife resources utilization, conservation and management and the coordination of policies related to them. As part of its policy of contributing in a timely manner to public debate on issues related to forest and wildlife resources, the Forestry Commission is committed to providing information on the status of these resources through the publication of a Forest & Wildlife Resources Handbook. Such information increases our understanding and knowledge of the status of forest and wildlife resources and provides a basis for informed debate on how best to encourage sustainable forest management. Ghana’s quest for sustainable forest management, which dates back to the early 1900’s, has largely involved enactment of legislations, policy reforms and other legal approaches for the control of forestry activities. In the mid-1990’s, reforms in the forestry sector culminated in the 1994 Forest and Wildlife Policy, and the 1996 Forestry Development Master Plan (1996 –2020). These and other recent regulatory tools and mechanisms have been the main driving force that has spurred Ghana to work towards sustainable forest management over the past decades. This Handbook is a compendium of information about forests and wildlife resources, forestry and wood processing in Ghana. It includes information on environmental and social aspects of forests and other related issues.