Farmers’ Forest Values and Preferences for Strategies for Managing Smallholder Forest Plantations Established on State Reserve Lands, Ghana

Abstract

Forest fringe communities have considerable knowledge of the value of forests. Quantitative forms of such knowledge can provide useful insights to complement scientific knowledge in forest resource management. Nonetheless, little attention has been given to the relevance of quantitative forms of such knowledge. A questionnaire survey of a sample of 92 farmers from six communities in Ghana engaged in smallholder forest plantation establishment was used to gather data on forest values and management strategies. Principal component analysis was employed in the data analysis. The results showed that ‘recreation’ (component 1) is dominated by direct use values and ‘habitat for wildlife’ (component 2), is dominated by indirect use values. In addition to filling the gap created by declining timber resources from natural forests, this study provides useful information on how smallholder plantations can be profitably managed for market and non-market values.