FOREST CERTIFICATION

The growing concerns over the last two decades about the environmental and socio-economic impacts of illegal logging and associated trade has led to the development of tools and measures aimed at tackling the problem. One of such global measures is the certification of forest products the requirements of which major importers of tropical timber products mainly from the EU request their suppliers to achieve. With the EU as a major market destination for Ghanaian timber products, most companies in Ghana began implementing certification requirements during the early 2000. However, efforts by these companies have not been successful. In spite of this, very little academic literature exists on why companies'' are unable to achieve certification and how this affect forest management and timber export trade in Ghana. This book details current forest management practices, certification implementation and its challenges in Ghana and their implications for forest management and timber export trade. The analysis and recommendations provided should be useful for forest managers, administrators, exporters and importers of Ghanaian timber products.