The Ankasa Forest Conservation Area of Ghana: Ecosystem service values and on-site REDD + opportunity cost

- The Ankasa Forest Conservation Area in West Africa provides a global public good in the mitigation of climate change and conservation of biodiversity.
- The opportunity cost of conserving the protected area for the next 30 years to the local communities is less than a dollar in net present value per year for every one tone of carbon dioxide emission reduction unit.
- This indicates a great potential for mitigation and adaptation of climate change through conservation of the biodiversity in forest conservation areas of Ghana and elsewhere.
- Thus, for sustainable management of forest conservation areas that provide global public goods in mitigation of climate change and conservation of biodiversity, local communities need to be compensated for the direct on-site income losses from alternative land use options.

The Ankasa Forest Conservation Area is one of the most important protected areas (PA) in West Africa. This study aimed at estimating the economic values of selected ecosystem services of the PA and the direct on-site REDD + opportunity costs to communities. We found that the PA stocks 32.8 million m3 (627 m3/ha) of standing trees with a stumpage value of about $ 19.1 million (364 $/ha), 64.3 million tCO2e (1230 tCO2e/ha) of carbon worth of $379.5 million ($7257/ha), and 6380 tons of nutrients worth of 0.64 million USD. The direct on-site REDD + opportunity cost for conserving the PA until 2042 was about 6.7-24.1 $/tCO2e (0.22-0.80 $/tCO2e per year) in net present value. From our field observation of the PA, we did not see a buffer zone that separates the PA from the surrounding land uses. Establishing a buffer zone is very important for the sustainability of the PA. Such an effort, however, should take in to account the opportunity costs to the rural communities associated with possible displacement. Thus, the results of the study could be used as important input for designing policies that will reinforce the sustainability of the Ankasa PA and other conservation sites in Ghana.