Sustaining Protected Forests and Forest Resources in Ghana: An Empirical Evidence

ABSTRACT The increasing concern for sustainable forest and protected forest resources motivates this study. In the wake of rising protected forest depletion, climate change and public health problems, this study through a bidding game format develops a sustainability index to show households’ sustainability behavior toward the protected forests in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Relying on a cross-section of household survey data and regression analysis, this study finds that overall, approximately 79% of respondents exhibited sustainable behavior toward protected forests in GAR. Also, this sustainable behavior is associated with expected revenue of GH¢ 80,837,594 (USD$ 15,368,398) per annum. We also find that socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental factors are the main drivers of protected forest sustainability in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. This study has important implications for institutions working toward sustaining protected forest and forest resources in Ghana.