Securing legal domestic lumber supply through multi-stakeholder dialogue in Ghana

In an attempt to develop alternatives for illegal chainsaw milling in Ghana, a multi-stakeholder dialogue (MSD) process was established in September 2008 to create a platform for shared perspective among different actors on issues and solutions for chainsaw milling activities in Ghana. It was expected to provide an effective pathway for information generation and sharing, while strengthening stakeholder groups for efficient representations. This study covers key findings of research conducted to assess the effectiveness of the MSD platform as a participatory process. The aim is to provide an input to stimulate further reflection on how multi-stakeholder dialogue can be adopted as an effective participatory mechanism in deliberating issues among different actors in specific sectors in Ghana.

This report was produced within the framework of the EU Chainsaw Milling Project “Supporting the integration of legal and legitimate domestic timber markets into Voluntary Partnership Agreements”. The project aims to find sustainable solutions to the problems associated with the production of lumber for local timber markets by involving all stakeholders in dialogue, information gathering and the development of alternatives to unsustainable chainsaw milling practices. In Ghana, the project is being carried out by Tropenbos International (TBI) in collaboration with the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) and the Forestry Commission (FC).

This report was produced within the framework of the EU Chainsaw Milling Project “Supporting the integration of legal and legitimate domestic timber markets into Voluntary Partnership Agreements”. The project aims to find sustainable solutions to the problems associated with the production of lumber for local timber markets by involving all stakeholders in dialogue, information gathering and the development of alternatives to unsustainable chainsaw milling practices. In Ghana, the project is being carried out by Tropenbos International (TBI) in collaboration with the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) and the Forestry Commission (FC).

Under the VPA with the European Union, Ghana has made a commitment to ensure that legal timber is not only traded on the export market but on the domestic market as well. Therefore, Ghana is seriously looking for options for supplying legal timber to the domestic market. The EU is supporting the Government through the NREG Programme and a Tropenbos International Ghana led project to develop alternatives to illegal chainsaw milling through a multi-stakeholder dialogue process backed by scientific research. These initiatives have developed the following three policy directions as a first step towards formulating specific strategic options for dealing with the problem:

1. Sawmills to supply the domestic market with legal timber obtained from sustained yields;
2. Sawmills and artisanal millers1 supply the domestic market with legal timber obtained from sustained yields ; and
3. Artisanal millers supply all lumber required by the domestic market while sawmills focus on export, in keeping with the legal timber framework.

However the current, stakeholder understanding of the costs and benefit implications of prospective intervening measures associated with these policy directions is scanty. Therefore this research was commissioned to provide a cost benefit analysis in order to inform policy decision on the most appropriate policy strategy.

This report was produced within the framework of the EU Chainsaw Milling Project “Supporting the integration of legal and legitimate domestic timber markets into Voluntary Partnership Agreements”. The project aims to find sustainable solutions to the problems associated with the production of lumber for local timber markets by involving all stakeholders in dialogue, information gathering and the development of alternatives to unsustainable chainsaw milling practices. In Ghana, the project is being carried out by Tropenbos International (TBI) in collaboration with the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) and the Forestry Commission (FC).

This study sought to assess the preferences of chainsaw dependent communities for forest- based alternative livelihood interventions that also have potential for climate change mitigation. In particular, the study attempted to answer the following research questions:

1. What forest-based interventions have the potential to support both rural livelihoods and climate change mitigation efforts simultaneously?
2. What are the specific preferences of chainsaw operatives for such interventions and the reasons behind their preferences?
3. What measures should be in place for the preferred forest-based alternative livelihood interventions to be successfully implemented?

This report was produced within the framework of the EU Chainsaw Milling Project “Supporting the integration of legal and legitimate domestic timber markets into Voluntary Partnership Agreements”. The project aims to find sustainable solutions to the problems associated with the production of lumber for local timber markets by involving all stakeholders in dialogue, information gathering and the development of alternatives to unsustainable chainsaw milling practices. In Ghana, the project is being carried out by Tropenbos International (TBI) in collaboration with the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) and the Forestry Commission (FC).

The importance of charcoal in satisfying multiple socio-economic needs for income, food security and industrial purposes particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is widely acknowledged. Although charcoal production contributes to deforestation in these countries, development institutions are recently considering the charcoal industry as leverage for addressing poverty and environmental conservation. Tropenbos International Ghana and its partners seek to promote charcoal production as an alternative income source for illegal chainsaw lumber millers in Ghana. In support of this objective, this study assessed the charcoal supply and value chains as well as the economics of production methods and challenges in the industry in Ghana. Further, the feasibility of the switch from illegal chainsaw lumber milling to the charcoal industry, resource implications and potential challenges have been investigated to inform decisions for any such reforms.

This report was produced within the framework of the EU Chainsaw Milling Project “Supporting the integration of legal and legitimate domestic timber markets into Voluntary Partnership Agreements”. The project aims to find sustainable solutions to the problems associated with the production of lumber for local timber markets by involving all stakeholders in dialogue, information gathering and the development of alternatives to unsustainable chainsaw milling practices. In Ghana, the project is being carried out by Tropenbos International (TBI) in collaboration with the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) and the Forestry Commission (FC).

This report is the outcome of a baseline assessment carried at the end of the first phase (2007-2012) of the project “Developing alternatives for illegal chainsaw lumbering through multi-stakeholder dialogue in Ghana and Guyana” to determine the extent to which the project achieved its objectives; and provide insight on pertinent issues specific to the CSM project in Ghana and the world at large. It also provides an outline of the baseline indicators for assessment at the end of the second phase of the project, (2012 – 2015).

This report was produced within the framework of the EU Chainsaw Milling Project “Supporting the integration of legal and legitimate domestic timber markets into Voluntary Partnership Agreements”. The project aims to find sustainable solutions to the problems associated with the production of lumber for local timber markets by involving all stakeholders in dialogue, information gathering and the development of alternatives to unsustainable chainsaw milling practices. In Ghana, the project is being carried out by Tropenbos International (TBI) in collaboration with the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) and the Forestry Commission (FC).