Factors associated with community awareness of forest reserve regulations in the Tano-Offin forest reserve in Ghana

ABSTRACT

Using questionnaire surveys and drawing on the co-cultural theory, this study examines the spatial, demographic, and socioeconomic factors influencing the awareness of land use and forest reserve regulations among forest fringe communities in the Tano-Offin forest reserve in Ghana. The study finds that high-income community members are significantly more likely to be aware of the regulations. Additionally, women and migrants are significantly less likely to be aware of the regulations. These results suggest that there is a need to rethink awareness creation strategies and make relentless efforts to involve the excluded and the marginalized, especially women, in the information-sharing streams..

KEYWORDS:

• Forest reserve regulations
• rural land uses
• land use regulations
• forest fringe communities
• Tano-Offin forest reserve

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joseph Oduro Appiah

Joseph Oduro Appiah is a sessional instructor at the School of Planning and Sustainability, University of Northern British Columbia. His research interests are in human-environment relationships, resource use and livelihoods, geographic information sciences, and geographies of health and healthcare

Williams Agyemang-Duah

Williams Agyemang-Duah holds a M.Sc. in Development Policy and Planning from the Department of Planning, KNUST, Ghana. His research interest covers land use and livelihood studies, aging and health, population health, health services research, and informal health care.

Dina Adei

Dina Adei is a senior lecturer at the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Her research interest covers land use management and livelihood outcomes, public health, occupational health and safety, health economics, and health policy.

Augustus Kweku Sobeng

Augustus Kweku Sobeng is an educationist, and he holds a M.Sc. degree in Environmental Change, Impact and Adaptation from Aberystwyth University. Augustus’s research interests are in forest management and livelihoods, climate change adaptation, and geography of healthcare.

Janet Afua Abrafi Adomako

Janet Afua Abrafi Adomako is a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University, Department of Geography. Janet uses ethnographic research methods to study the intersection between gender and resource extraction.

Prince Peprah

Prince Peprah is a Ph.D. student at the University of New South Wales, Australia. His research interest covers resource management and livelihoods, population health, health services research and refugees and Asylum health.