Scoping Study: Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia (West Africa)

Prof. Fatima Denton; Dr. Thelma Arko; Gifty Ampomah

Report

Scoping Study: Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia (West Africa)

This report examines environmental degradation in West Africa, focusing on deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss.

Publication Date: 30 Jan 2024

Authors: Prof. Fatima Denton Dr. Thelma Arko Gifty Ampomah

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This scoping paper examines environmental degradation in West Africa, with particular attention to deforestation fronts in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Liberia. Commissioned for the Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia (REDAA) programme, the study identifies research-to-action priorities that could strengthen evidence, improve tools and enhance governance for ecosystem restoration. Drawing on a review of more than 320 academic, policy and grey-literature sources, together with interviews with 12 stakeholders, the report analyses interconnected drivers of degradation, including agricultural expansion, logging, mining, weak governance, soil degradation, water pollution and biodiversity loss. It highlights the need for improved data systems, more inclusive financing for grassroots restoration, stronger integration of traditional ecological knowledge, enhanced local forest governance, equitable benefit-sharing and user-friendly tools for monitoring and restoration planning. The paper concludes that these priorities could be most effective if implemented synergistically and aligned with national climate commitments

Key Findings:

Deforestation is the most critical issue, driving other forms of degradation.Hotspots: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia.
Drivers: cocoa farming (Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire), rubber/oil palm (Liberia, Sierra Leone), logging, mining, slash‑and‑burn agriculture.
Soil degradation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss are interconnected challenges, exacerbated by deforestation and unsustainable land use.
Economic costs: Coastal degradation in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo cost $3.8 billion annually (≈5.3% of GDP).

Evidence:

The report highlights that effective initiatives exist (e.g., WABiCC programme, Ghana’s CREMAs) and shows gaps including: limited grassroots financing, weak integration of traditional knowledge, poor community participation, and insufficient forest data. The report further shows that REDAA should prioritize user‑friendly data strategies, innovative financing, and bridging the traditional knowledge policy gap.

Governance and RTAPs

Weak enforcement of forest laws and inadequate local governance capacity are shown to be key governance challenges and some Research to Action Priorities(RTAPs) named include:
Integrated data management systems for forest governance.
Policy reforms to strengthen enforcement.
Benefit‑sharing mechanisms to support forest‑dependent communities.
The report emphasizes that RTAPs will be most effective if implemented synergistically—combining evidence, governance reforms, and tools to drive ecosystem restoration.