Forest Conservation in the Akyem Abuakwa Kingdom in Ghana's Eastern Region: An Environmental History

Abstract

Since the 1970s, the Akyem Abuakwa Kingdom in Ghana’s Eastern Region has attracted scholarly attention, largely focused on its social and political history. However, little attention has been paid to the historical development of forest conservation from the pre-colonial era to the present. The present study addresses this gap and contributes to Ghana’s environmental historiography. Using archival sources, oral traditions, colonial records, and secondary literature, the research traces changing conservation practices across pre-colonial, colonial, and postcolonial periods. The findings show that indigenous environmental ethics and traditional institutions played a central role in regulating forest use and protecting natural resources. Over time, these systems have come under significant strain due to commercial agriculture, illicit mining, deforestation, and the weakening of traditional authority, particularly since colonial rule. The study argues that these combined pressures have undermined sustainability and calls for renewed attention to indigenous conservation frameworks in contemporary environmental policy.