Sustainability of forestry and timber industry in Ghana

This paper provides an overview and a thorough understanding of the sustainability issues in the timber sector of Ghana. This understanding will help to identify and bridge the sustainability gap to avoid the imminent depletion of the natural forest resources. The sector was assessed by means of a structured closed-ended questionnaire, followed by in-depth personal interviews with selected stakeholders. Responses on economic, social and environmental consequences of the timber sector were measured by sustainability indicators on a three point Likert scale. The sustainability gap has been identified and it is expected to widened, if major policy interventions are not implemented and respected. To achieve sustainability the study concludes by suggesting a number of approaches to bridge this sustainability gap in order to make the timber sector sustainable.