Monitoring cocoa-driven deforestation: The contexts of encroachment and land use policy implications for deforestation free cocoa supply chains in Ghana

This research analyzed cocoa deforestation within the framework of land-use policies to support efforts to implement deforestation-free cocoa commitments in Ghana. Land-use maps for 1986, 1999, and 2017 were used to explore cocoa deforestation around three contexts: (1) Gross deforestation - forest conversions irrespective of the legal provisions governing land use; (2) Forest reserves encroachment -conversions within forest reserves; and (3) 'Admitted farms' and off-reserve deforestation -conversions within the framework of applicable national legislative provisions. The results showed 90.71% 'admitted farms' and off-reserve deforestation, and 9.29% forest reserve encroachments. The conversions in the off-reserve and 'admitted farm' constitute land-use deci-sion-making conforming to the Forests act 1927 and the Land Use and Spatial planning act 2016. Thus, we seek to argue the following: (1) the dynamics of deforestation should be situated within the land use policy provisions; (2) The use of gross deforestation as the basis for any legislative due diligence provision would be at variance with national legislation and might pose difficulties in achieving the deforestation-free objectives; (3) Gross deforestation should be separated from admitted farm, and off-reserve deforestation. Once this is done, stake-holders will be able to formulate targeted response interventions to address cocoa-led deforestation.

Automated summary

This research analyzed cocoa deforestation in Ghana within the context of land-use policies and argued that the dynamics of deforestation should be considered within the provisions of national legislation. It highlighted the need to separate gross deforestation from admitted farm and off-reserve deforestation in order to formulate targeted interventions to address cocoa-led deforestation.