Reforming Ghana's Forest Laws to Incentivize Cocoa-Based Agroforestry
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ROOTED IN THE GROUND: REFORMING GHANA’S FOREST LAWS TO INCENTIVIZE COCOA-BASED AGROFORESTRY INTEGRATED LAND AND RESOURCE GOVERNANCE TASK ORDER UNDER THE STRENGTHENING TENURE AND RESOURCE RIGHTS II (STARR II) IDIQ FEBRUARY 2021 This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared with support from the Integrated Land and Resource Governance Task Order, under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II (STARR II) IDIQ . It was prepared by Winrock International and Tetra Tech. Cover Photo: Integrated Land and Resource Governance Program/Ghana Tetra Tech Contact(s): Megan Huth, Project Manager 159 Bank Street, Suite 300 Burlington, VT 05402 Tel: (802) 495-0282 Fax: (802) 658-4247 Email: [email protected] Suggested Citation: O’Sullivan, R., Fischer, J. E., Antwi, Y. A., & Freudenberger, M. (2021). Rooted in the ground: Reforming Ghana’s forest laws to incentivize cocoa- based agroforestry. Washington, DC: USAID Integrated Land and Resource Governance Task Order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II (STARR II) IDIQ. ROOTED IN THE GROUND: REFORMING GHANA’S FOREST LAWS TO INCENTIVIZE COCOA- BASED AGROFORESTRY INTEGRATED LAND AND RESOURCE GOVERNANCE TASK ORDER UNDER THE STRENGTHENING TENURE AND RESOURCE RIGHTS II (STARR II) IDIQ Submission Date: 25 March 2020 (revised version submitted 16 February 2021) Submitted by: Melissa Hall, Deputy Chief of Party Tetra Tech 159 Bank Street, Burlington VT 05401, USA Tel: (802) 495-0282 Fax: (802) 658-4247 Contract Number: 7200AA18D00003/7200AA18F00015 COR Name: Sarah Lowery USAID Office of Land and Urban Contractor Name: Tetra Tech Author(s): Robert O’Sullivan, Julie Fischer, Yaw Antwi, and Mark Freudenberger DISCLAIMER This publication is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Tetra Tech and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States government. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................ I LIST OF ACRONYMS ......................................................................................................... III EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ............................................................... 1 1.1 COCOA PRODUCTION, TIMBER EXTRACTION, AND DEFORESTATION....... 2 1.1.1 Cocoa Production and Deforestation: 130 Year History ................................... 2 1.1.2 Cocoa Shade Trees and the Timber Industry ........................................................ 3 1.2 BACK TO BASICS: WHERE ARE THE INCENTIVES?..................................................... 5 1.3 COCOA IS A SHADY BUSINESS – ARGUMENTS FOR PRACTICING COCOA AGROFORESTRY....................................................................................................................... 6 2.0 GHANA’S FOREST LAW AND POLICY ................................................................ 9 2.1 CUSTOMARY TENURE PRACTICES ................................................................................... 9 2.2 STATUTORY LAW AND POLICY ..................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 Overview of Statutory Rights to Trees and Calls for Reform ......................... 12 2.2.2 Ghana’s Evolving Policy and Practice of Tree Registration ............................... 15 2.3 DEEP DIVE INTO THE 1992 CONSTITUTION ............................................................. 21 2.3.1 Key Provisions of the 1992 Constitution .............................................................. 21 2.3.2 Constitutional Interpretations that Support Government Rights to Naturally Occurring Trees........................................................................................................... 22 2.3.3 Alternative Interpretation of the 1992 Constitution and Who Owns Trees 25 2.3.4 Discussion of the Alternative Interpretation ........................................................ 26 2.4 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 28 3.0 INCENTIVIZING ON-FARM TREE PLANTING AND PROTECTION – ARE FOREST CODE REFORMS EFFECTIVE? .............................................................. 29 3.1 LESSONS FROM THE EVIDENCE ON THE GROUND ............................................... 29 3.1.1 Greening of the Sahel ................................................................................................. 30 3.1.2 China’s Transition of Forest Control from Collectives to Individuals ........... 31 3.1.3 Limited Lessons from Community-Based Forestry Reforms ........................... 32 3.2 TREE REGISTRATION IN THAILAND AND THE PHILIPPINES ............................... 32 3.2.1 Thailand’s Tree Bank................................................................................................... 32 3.2.2 Philippines Tree Registration .................................................................................... 34 3.3 LESSONS FROM GHANA ..................................................................................................... 35 3.4 LESSONS FROM CÔTE D’IVOIRE ...................................................................................... 36 3.4.1 Côte d’Ivoire Context ................................................................................................ 36 3.4.2 Tree Ownership........................................................................................................... 37 3.4.3 Tree Registration ......................................................................................................... 38 3.4.4 Côte d’Ivoire Conclusions......................................................................................... 39 4.0 THE INFLUENCE OF INTERNATIONAL INTERESTS AND DONOR FUNDING ON CURRENT FOREST REFORMS IN GHANA ............................ 40 4.1 DONOR INFLUENCE ON THE FOREST SECTOR, 1980 – 2003............................. 40 4.2 EUROPEAN UNION’S (EU) FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT, GOVERNANCE AND TRADE (FLEGT) AND VOLUNTARY PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT (VPA) ....................................................................................................................................................... 40 4.3 INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS’ FOCUS ON TIMBER/FOREST CERTIFICATION .................................................................................... 41 4.4 REDD+ IN GHANA................................................................................................................. 42 4.5 COCOA AND FORESTS INITIATIVE ................................................................................ 44 5.0 CULTIVATING A NEW COCOA PRODUCTION PARADIGM IN GHANA . 45 ROOTED IN THE GROUND i 5.1 BUNDLING TREE AND LAND RIGHTS .......................................................................... 45 5.2 POLICY ISSUES AND PRACTICAL OPTIONS ............................................................... 47 5.2.1 Devolution of Tree Rights ......................................................................................... 47 5.2.2 Administration of Rights ............................................................................................ 48 5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR KEY STAKEHOLDERS.................................................... 49 5.3.1 Recommendations for the Government of Ghana ............................................. 49 5.3.2 Recommendations for the Cocoa Sector .............................................................. 50 5.3.3 Recommendations for Donors ................................................................................ 51 5.3.4 Recommendations for Civil Society ........................................................................ 52 ANNEX 1: SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION AND POLICY RELATED TO TREE TENURE ...................................................................................................................... 53 A1.1 1948 FORESTRY POLICY AND THE TREES AND TIMBER ORDINANCE NO. 20 OF 1949 ....................................................................................................................................... 53 A1.2 1962 CONCESSIONS ACT (ACT 124) ............................................................................. 53 A1.3 1974 TREES AND TIMBER ACT (NATIONAL REDEMPTION COUNCIL DECREE 273) ............................................................................................................................. 53 A1.4 1979 ECONOMIC PLANTS PROTECTION DECREE .................................................. 54 A1.5 1994 FOREST AND WILDLIFE POLICY AND FORESTY DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLANS ........................................................................................................................ 54 A1.6 1997 TIMBER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ACT (TRMA) 547 ............................... 55 A1.7 1999 FORESTRY COMMISSION ACT 571 ....................................................................... 55 A1.8 2002 PLANTATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND ACT (ACT 617), WITH AMENDMENTS TO THE 1997 TRMA 547 ....................................................................... 55 A1.9 2012 FOREST AND WILDLIFE POLICY AND 2012 TREE TENURE BENEFIT SHARING POLICY ..................................................................................................................