Path Dependence, Community Resilience, and Social Responses to the Implementation of Collaborative Forest Management in Ghana

Abstract

The concept of community resilience has been receiving attention in recent decades as a framework for understanding the capacity of communities to respond to drivers of change while maintaining or enhancing their well-being. However, the process of community response to drivers of change and the factors influencing the change process remain poorly understood. In this study, the community resilience literature was applied in the analysis of community responses to the implementation of collaborative forest management (CFM) in Ghana. Qualitative data were generated from two forest-dependent communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana using key informant interviews and the review of documents. The results highlighted the role of drivers of change, institutions, capital assets, and arenas for interaction in shaping the awareness and motivation, as well as access to resources and opportunities for collective action in both communities. Importantly, community history and context helped explain differences in the responses of the two communities to the implementation of the CFM program. These findings highlight the need for greater recognition of path dependence and other attributes of complexity in resource-dependent communities in order to inform policies that contribute to enhancing community resilience.