Forest Security Appraisal of Community Management Interventions Against Threats of Forest Commons at Offinso North District in Ghana

Abstract

The paper examines the viability of community forestry and how community participation affects the effectivenessof forest resource security and management. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques with stakeholders’observations and perceptions of managers’ responses to major threats of forest commons were employed in thisstudy. The paper establishes forest security through comparative analysis and discourse of solely governmentmanagement intervention, solely community (private) management intervention and government-communitypartnership for forest management arrangements which are occurring in the Offinso Forest District of Ghana.The paper concludes that, community involvement in forest management interventions delivers better protectionof forest commons; and the extent and autonomy of local community to participate actively in forest resourcemanagement significantly influences resilience against threats of forest commons. Hence, stronger communityparticipation enhances the effectiveness of forest security efforts. Nevertheless, viability of communityparticipation to deliver effective forest resource security is influenced by adequacy of resources in support ofcommunity forestry, empowerment and sense of ownership of communities for forest common management.