In northern Ghana's Yiwagu community, farming has long been the backbone of local livelihoods. But in recent years, harvests especially shea nuts have dwindled. Locals blame the decline on erratic rainfall and rising temperatures, symptoms of a changing climate. In response, the ethnic minority community has turned to traditional conservation practices. Chiefs and local leaders have banned tree felling and other harmful activities in nearby forests.
The Murphy Company's devastation of the landscape slaps you in the face. Here on land owned by the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR), a beautiful mature forest has been logged for hardwood, plywood, and other wood products. Hacked-off stumps are visible in all directions, a few trees left to stand. The former forest floor, once rich with organisms, now stands heaped into huge slash piles to be burned.