This publication provides a comparative analysis of forest legal frameworks in seven West African countries ? C?te d‘Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone ? with a focus on community-based approaches and cross-border cooperation. It highlights the key challenges related to combating deforestation and aligning national legal frameworks with international commitments. The report makes recommendations to strengthen regional cooperation under the aegis of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and to improve national governance of forest management, with a focus on wildlife- and flora-related crimes, land rights, and gender equality. This study aims to contribute to the revision of ECOWAS‘s Convergence Plan for sustainable forest management in West Africa.