Africa, Tropical Timber, Turfs and Trade

Africa, Tropical Timber, Turfs and Trade
Author: John Henry Owusu
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2012
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0739174010

This book examines development issues, particularly spatial integration, in Sub-Saharan Africa regarding its tropical timber trade, and the related formal-informal operational turf creation, control and dynamics. Focusing primarily on Ghana, Owusu examines the scramble to control the timber trade by various political and socio-economic interests, from the colonial to the neo-liberal era. In relation to this, Owusu documents the structural and organizational changes that have occurred in the region resulting from national and international development policies, such as modernization and neo-liberal structural adjustment on industrialization and development, and assesses the roles played by powerful international organizations such as The World Bank as agents of economic change. The discussion is couched in the critical but often unrecognized or neglected role the discipline of geography and its associated perspectives play in relation to examining and understanding the unequal relationship between the advanced and developing economies, and how that relationship affects development and trade behavior of developing economies. The core argument made regarding this relationship is tied to the structuralist perspective that Africa's persistent underdevelopment problem is rooted in the very structure of its political economy. Based on the discussion, Owusu identifies and distills lessons from Ghana's experience for Development policy and practice in Africa and comparable Developing countries in the 21st Century.

Governing Africa's Forests in a Globalized World

Governing Africa's Forests in a Globalized World
Author: Laura Anne German
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 435
Release: 2009-12-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1136545514

Many countries around the world are engaged in decentralization processes, and most African countries face serious problems with forest governance, from benefits sharing to illegality and sustainable forest management. This book summarizes experiences to date on the extent and nature of decentralization and its outcomes - most of which suggest an underperformance of governance reforms - and explores the viability of different governance instruments in the context of weak governance and expanding commercial pressures over forests. Findings are grouped into two thematic areas: decentralization, livelihoods and sustainable forest management; and international trade, finance and forest sector governance reforms. The authors examine diverse forces shaping the forest sector, including the theory and practice of decentralization, usurpation of authority, corruption and illegality, inequitable patterns of benefits capture and expansion of international trade in timber and carbon credits, and discuss related outcomes on livelihoods, forest condition and equity. The book builds on earlier volumes exploring different dimensions of decentralization and perspectives from other world regions, and distills dimensions of forest governance that are both unique to Africa and representative of broader global patterns. The authors ground their analysis in relevant theory while drawing out implications of their findings for policy and practice.

Forest Transition Deficiency Syndrome

Forest Transition Deficiency Syndrome
Author: Emmanuel Ametepeh
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2019-01-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3658250399

While previous studies focus on lack of enforcement of forest laws, poverty, and ecological values of forest dependent people, coherent studies on people’s motivations for forest illegalities and non-compliance behavior remain scanty. Emmanuel Ametepeh argues that the systematic analysis of cause-and-effect patterns related to forest management measures and policies through the lenses of the Forest Transition Theory uncovers severe limitations. The resulting multi-complex stress factors adversely impact and hence manifest in the form of deviant compliance behavior (“syndrome”) in the management endeavor of forest-fringe people. The Author shows that motivations for forest illegalities and associated non-compliance behavior is largely an outcome of adverse experiences forest people have been subjected to as a result of historical and contemporary neglects and marginalization in the management endeavor.

Ghana

Ghana
Author: International Monetary Fund
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2012-07-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 147552286X

Ghana has pursued several programs to accelerate the growth of the economy. In 1995, the government presented “Ghana: Vision 2020,” aimed at making Ghana a middle-income country in 25 years. Vision 2020 focused on human development, economic growth, rural development, urban development, infrastructure development, and an enabling environment. It was followed by the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy. One of the main challenges to economic growth is the unemployment problem. The recent discoveries of oil and gas create tremendous opportunities for stimulating national development.

Situational analysis of a social-ecological landscape in the Ahafo Ano Southwest District of Ghana

Situational analysis of a social-ecological landscape in the Ahafo Ano Southwest District of Ghana
Author: Atampugre, Gerald
Publisher: IWMI
Total Pages: 57
Release: 2022-11-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

A Social-Ecological Landscape (SEL) comprises a set of important resources (e.g., natural, socioeconomic, and cultural) whose flow and use are controlled by a mix of ecological and social subsystem dynamics. In developing countries, drivers of SEL changes are complex, and SEL pressures are growing. Areas endowed with natural resources (e.g., fertile soils, forests, water, minerals, etc.) tend to have high population growth rates and high poverty incidence. These tend to culminate in high demand for livelihood capitals (e.g., access to livelihood alternatives, education, food, health, water, forest resources, dwellings, roads, agriculture/aquaculture spaces, etc.). Further, multiple national and global stakeholders have continuedly to place a high demand on exploiting natural resources at the subnational.

A Goal-Oriented Approach to Forest Landscape Restoration

A Goal-Oriented Approach to Forest Landscape Restoration
Author: John Stanturf
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2012-12-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400753381

While restoration ecology has traditionally aimed to re-create some putative more ‘natural’ ecological state, forest landscape restoration (FLR) has emerged over the last decade as an approach aimed more at restoring natural functions, while focusing on meeting human needs. With a view to exploring the practical potential of this approach, this book draws together a team of experts from the natural and social sciences to discuss its success so far in addressing critical issues such as biodiversity, ecological function, and human livelihoods. Applying principles of landscape ecology, restoration ecology, planning theory and conflict management, the book presents a series of case studies which document the approach, and discusses how the approach can help with priority setting for the future. The book will provide a valuable reference to graduate students and researchers interested in ecological restoration, forest ecology and management, as well as to professionals in environmental restoration, natural resource management, conservation, and environmental policy.

Making forest concessions in the tropics work to achieve the 2030 Agenda

Making forest concessions in the tropics work to achieve the 2030 Agenda
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2018-07-30
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251305471

The specific objective of these Voluntary Guidelines is to promote the sustainable management of public production natural forests in tropical countries through forest concessions, thereby fulfilling their potential contribution to the achievement of Agenda 2030. Forest concession regimes are treated here as forest policy instruments, and should be aligned with the sustainable forest management objectives agreed by countries in the UNFF. The current Guidelines intend to serve as guidance for making forest concessions an effective economic instrument of forest policy in the context of the 2030 Agenda, transforming them into an instrument capable of delivering sustainable forest management in all its dimensions, and generating socio-economic benefits to relevant stakeholders.