In northern Ghana, a sacred forest is teaching lessons about culture, community, and climate resilience.
In the small farming community of Yiwogu, located in Ghana’s Savelugu Municipality, there’s a patch of forest the people call Maltiti, which means “Do something good for us.”
It covers about 12 acres of land, but for the people of Yiwogu, Maltiti is more than trees and grass. They see it as a living protector — one that gives them shade, brings rain, and offers peace of mind.
For more than thirty years, this sacred forest has stood firm while trees all around it have vanished. It has protected the people — and in return, they have protected it.
Years ago, Yiwogu was surrounded by thick forest. People fetched firewood, made charcoal, and cleared land for farming. Slowly, the trees disappeared, the land dried up, and the winds grew stronger.
Realising the danger, the elders made a decision that would change everything. They chose one small area and declared it sacred — no cutting, no burning, and no hunting.
“Anybody who goes into the forest to cut a tree can face something dangerous,” warns Sub-Chief Abubakari Yakubu Bob Gundaana, one of the community leaders.
“They can be bitten by a snake, fall sick, or even have an accident. One woman once tried cutting a tree, and it fell on her waist. She suffered and later died.”
To outsiders, these warnings may sound like superstition. But for Yiwogu, they have served as strong community law — a blend of fear and respect that has kept one of the last green patches in the area alive.
A forest that breathes life
When the dry Harmattan winds blow through Yiwogu, Maltiti stands like a shield. Its trees slow the wind, keeping homes and farmlands safe. Beneath its shade, goats and cattle graze, and the air feels cooler.
The people say the forest gives them clean air and hope. For herbalist Saibu Pagwuni, it is also a place of prayer.
“When we need rain, we go to the forest and offer a goat and a chicken,” she said. “Within a few days, the rains will come.”
Pagwuni and other farmers cut dry grasses from around the forest to make compost for their crops.
“We prepare compost from the grasses we collect,” she added. “We use it on our farms, and our crops do well. We don’t buy chemical fertilizers anymore.”
The forest even tells them when to plant. The colour of the grasses and the flowering of certain trees signal the coming of the rains.
A symbol of faith and survival
The Maltiti forest has become part of Yiwogu’s identity. The people believe it is home to a spirit symbolised by a lion — a guardian that protects the land. Hunting is forbidden, and no one dares to harm any animal that enters it.
When someone is sick, when the rains delay, or when a person seeks help, they go to the forest to pray. Even politicians visit before elections to seek blessings.
“The forest has protected us for years,” said Sub-Chief Gundaana. “We will continue to protect it, too.”
To many in Yiwogu, Maltiti is a gift from their ancestors. But to scientists, it is also a local solution to a global problem — a small but a weapon against climate change.
Though only an acre wide, Maltiti plays a big role in protecting the environment. Its trees absorb carbon dioxide, the gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, and release oxygen. The forest cools the air, enriches the soil, and provides shelter for birds, insects, and small animals.
“When the wind blows from the forest, it feels cool,” said Mohammed Abass, a farmer whose land borders the grove. “When you go closer, you can even feel the temperature difference. It’s like the forest is breathing for us.”
Because Yiwogu lies in Ghana’s dry northern zone, where temperatures can rise above 38°C, Maltiti acts as a natural air conditioner. Farmers say crops planted near the forest survive longer during dry spells.
“The trees hold the soil,” said Pagwuni. “When the rains come, they stop the water from washing everything away. If you cut all the trees, the land becomes weak.”
Ghana’s vanishing forests — and its national response
Globally, deforestation accounts for nearly 10–12% of total greenhouse gas emissions — more than all the world’s cars combined. The protection of community forests, sacred groves, and indigenous lands has now become a recognised nature-based solution in global climate policy.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) both highlight community forest guardianship as essential to keeping global warming below 1.5°C.
Yet Ghana continues to lose forest cover at an alarming rate. According to the Global Forest Review (2023), the country lost about 1.4 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2021, representing nearly 20% of its total forest area. In 2022 alone, Ghana recorded one of the fastest rates of primary forest loss in the tropics — more than 18,000 hectares disappeared in just a year. The FAO also estimates that between 1990 and 2000, the country lost roughly 135,000 hectares annually, driven largely by farming, illegal mining, and logging.
To reverse this trend, Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement outline clear commitments to restore degraded lands, promote afforestation, and protect community forests. Under Policy Objectives, the NDCs call for strengthening forest governance, integrating traditional knowledge into forest management, and promoting community-led conservation — especially in sacred groves and cultural landscapes like Maltiti.
These goals align with the country’s broader efforts under the REDD programme, which links local forest protection with global climate finance to cut carbon emissions and support livelihoods.
Environmental experts say forests like Maltiti, though small, form a powerful network of climate defense when many communities protect theirs — keeping carbon locked in the soil, restoring water cycles, and preventing desertification.
“To ensure that smaller forest patches like the sacred forest in Yiwogu continue to function effectively as ‘small lungs,’” said Dr. Caleb Mensah, Environmental Physicist at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), “the community can adopt adaptive forest management strategies that balance conservation with regeneration.”
He added that assisted natural regeneration and enrichment planting with native species can boost both biodiversity and carbon storage, while fire prevention and controlled grazing maintain soil moisture and fertility.
Ghana’s leadership on REDD+ and climate action
Across Ghana, forests like Maltiti are at the heart of the country’s plan to fight climate change.
In May 2024, the African Forest Forum (AFF), in partnership with the Forestry Commission of Ghana and the UN-REDD Programme, held a National Policy Dialogue in Accra.
The goal was to strengthen Ghana’s REDD+ implementation — a global framework that helps countries reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Experts and policymakers discussed how to improve coordination between sectors — from agriculture to mining, land use, and environment — so that REDD+ goals can align with national development plans.
They agreed that a cross-sectoral approach is key to achieving Ghana’s climate commitments, as it would help mobilise the human, financial, and technical resources needed for REDD+ success.
There were also calls to improve cooperation across government policies, align competing land use plans with forest protection goals, and create integration mechanisms to help industries benefit while protecting nature.
These steps, according to AFF, will make Ghana’s REDD+ programme more efficient — ensuring that forest communities like Yiwogu continue to benefit while protecting the planet.
Global support brings new life
The story of Yiwogu’s sacred forest has travelled far beyond the Northern Region. It has caught the attention of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), UN-REDD+, and the African Forest Forum (AFF), which are helping the people expand their conservation work.
Together with Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS), a Tamale-based NGO, they have supported Yiwogu to establish a one-acre teak plantation near the sacred forest. The plantation provides an alternative source of wood and income, reducing pressure on the sacred grove.
“We now grow trees and protect the land from fire and illegal logging,” said Iddrisu Saaka and Alhassan Adisah, farmers who helped establish the plantation. “Sometimes we use the wood for roofing or to feed our animals. It helps us a lot.”
UN-REDD+, which stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, supports communities across Africa to manage forests sustainably.
“Ghana is doing better than many countries with the REDD+ programme,” said Joseph Asante, a consultant for UN-REDD+ and the African Forest Forum. “We are helping communities take charge of their forests so they can protect them and still earn a living.”
Through the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), communities like Yiwogu are learning from others across Africa and beyond.
GLF’s Regional Coordinator for Africa, Amos Amanubo, said Yiwogu’s story proves that traditional systems can lead the way in climate action.
“We are seeing how communities connect biodiversity, climate action, and food systems,” he said. “What Yiwogu is doing with Maltiti shows that local knowledge and global collaboration can work hand in hand.”
Today, Maltiti stands as a living reminder of what communities can achieve when they value nature and culture equally.
Its story challenges the belief that rural people are powerless in the face of climate change. In Yiwogu, they are protectors, innovators, and teachers.
“The forest may be small,” said Pagwuni, looking toward the green patch, “but it has a big heart. It gives us life.”
For the people of Yiwogu, protecting Maltiti is about faith, food, and the future of their children.
And as the winds sweep across the dry plains of northern Ghana, that one-acre forest continues to whisper its name — Maltiti, “Do something good for us.”
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