A community-based approach to wildfire prevention in Ghana

Abstract

Form Ghana is a forest plantation management company based in central Ghana that produces timber and carbon credits for local and international markets. From 2017, it has worked with communities to improve livelihoods in Tain II Forest Reserve, Bono Region, through the Forest Landscape Restoration Programme. Most community land is managed under the traditional authority of chiefs and their families, and farming is the main sole source of income. This article describes how a community based approach has reduced wildfire outbreaks by 78% between 2018 and 2021. From a situation in which wildfires were frequent, where nobody felt responsible and from which everybody suffered, people now make efforts to manage the risk and help to prevent wildfire outbreaks.