Stakeholder Conflicts and Sustainable Forest Management in the the Assin North and South Districts

ABSTRACTThe Assin Northand Southdistrictsare wellendowedwithforests and wildliferesources. However,conflicts among the numerous stakeholders over theseresourcesareleadingto the unsustainablemanagementofthese resources. It hasbeenestablishedthat several factors accountfor the unsustainable managementofthe forests and wildliferesources. Thoughseveral approaches have been applied by the resource managersto promote sustainable resourcemanagement,the conflictamongthe numerous.stakeholdersoverthese resourcesnstillremainaseriousprobleminthe studyarea. Theresearchwasdesignednotonlyto find outthe causesofthe conflicts but also to determine the'stakeholders' perspective on the solutions to the conflictsto enhancesustainableforest resource management.Theoutcomeofthe study wasthat so manyreasons accounted for the dissatisfaction among stakeho.ldersandtopmostamongallwaslackoftrustamongstakeholders. In conclusion,conflictamongstakeholders wasfound to becommonin the studyareaandit resulted in the unsustainableexploitationofforestresources. Sustainableforestresourcemanagementhastherefore beenthrown outofgearby these conflicts. It wasrecommended, among otherthings, that the governmentshoulddevelopthe capacitiesofthe stakeholdersbystrengtheningandsustainingthe participatoryprocessesin forestprogrammesplanning,solvethe ruralpovertyproblem,reviewthe revenuesharingformulato ensureequityandinclude conflictresolutionprinciplesin forestresourcemanagementplanningprogrammes.