The Political Economy of Forest Governance in Ghana. The role of the EU FLEGT initiative

This 20 minute interview with Clare Brogan from theIDLgroup discusses her experience of working within the Ghana Forestry Commission and the negotiations for the Voluntary Partnership Agreement under the EU Forest Law and Environmental Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative. She discusses the political economy causes of weak forest management and rapid deforestation during the 1990s, and recent changes that have led to more effective forest governance. The Voluntary Partnership Agreement process has been a key driver of change. This has worked by linking EU trade requirements for legally sourced timber to domestic political negotiations over a national definition of legally sourced timber and agreed certification practices. This led to a broadly inclusive process with meaningful civil society participation on the definition of legality and enforcement processes. The case study provides a good example of how international assistance and trade policy requirements can be applied in ways that enhance domestic political incentives for constructive bargaining and negotiation between interest groups.