**4. Conclusion**

The sociodemographic figures indicate a progressive population increase in the Asunafo forest area resulting from a natural increase in birth rate and overrun death rates due to increased and improvements in health care. A contributing factor is a migration to the forest area for greener pastures in the timber industry, cocoa farming, and hunting. It can be concluded from the analysis of land use/cover of the Asunafo forest area between 1986 and 2020 that the closed forest, which includes the forest reserves, has declined drastically by about −24.59%. The major causes of the depletion of the forest reserves are progressive population increases, activities of the timber industry, and cocoa farming by Ghanaians since the year 1921. The spread of wildfire during the 1982–1983 drought was a one-time contributing factor. However, mining activities for gold and other minerals play no part in the forest reserve degradation for now. The consequential timber and cocoa farming industries have negative repercussions on the forest reserves resulting in degradation. Their effects have been aggravated by the expansion and spread of human settlement around the forest reserves. For instance, wildlife habitats are lost leading to the outmigration of elephants, buffalos, and chimpanzees. In addition, several plant species are either extinct or suffered a serious reduction in productivity. A deliberate government response is required to restore the Asunafo Forest Reserves to a desirable state.
