Sacred Groves for Forest Conservation in Ghana's Coastal Savannas: Assessing Ecological and Social Dimensions

Despite recent interest in sacred (fetish) groves as remnant forests, few studies have investigated their sustainability and conservation role in West Africa. This article employs a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analysis of time series images (1960‐98), comprehensive social surveys and ecological field methods to evaluate four sacred groves and eight unprotected tree stands in the coastal savanna of Ghana and compare these with vegetation in the distant forested hinterland. There were strong similarities and substantial differences in tree species between different sacred groves, and between these and the unprotected stands and proximate deciduous forests. In addition, far fewer tree losses were documented in the sacred groves than in the local unprotected stands. Although these sacred groves were on average only partially representative of deciduous forest vegetation, their stronger sustainability compared with unprotected tree stands may be important to consider in detail for conservation.