Bring all district on board - NFF

Accra, Dec. 3, GNA - Members of the National Forest Forum (NFF) has called on the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines and other stakeholders in the sector to ensure the participation of all districts in the forums to help address problems confronting the forest sector. A communiqu=E9 issued at the end of a three-day forum in Accra said quality representation would improve deliberations at Regional Forest Forums and enrich the policy process in Ghana. NFF provides a platform for forest stakeholders to discuss issues on forest resource management, share information and interact with officials of the Forestry Commission to secure answers to forest problems.

It also serves as a basis for advocacy to effect changes in policies and laws inimical to sustainable forest management and collaborative forest management practices. The forum was organised by the ministry in collaboration with the Forestry Commission and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for 50 participants from the 10 regions of Ghana.

The communiqu=E9 said District and Regional forums had so far provided an opportunity for community, commercial and official forest stakeholders at different levels to engage each other in resolving the many problems facing the forest sector.

The forum revisited issues and positions that had been generated at District and Regional Forest Forum Meetings between 2006 and 2007. Issues discussed included threats to Ghana's forest estate such as bushfire, illegal logging (including chainsaw operations), illegal charcoal burning, sand winning, poaching, mining, wildfires, farming along water bodies and pastoral herding.

It also discussed major policy problems such as community rights and the inadequate benefit sharing arrangement in place, the level of political interference with professional forestry practice, the role of participatory platforms such as Community Natural Resource Committees and Forest Forums in democratising forest management in Ghana. Since 2002 the collaborative efforts of the Forestry Commission, Civil Society Organisations and forest fringe communities has led to the establishment of almost 20 District Forums, 10 Regional Forest Forums and a National Forest Forum.

A 19-member executive was elected to head the forum under the presidency of Naa Bob Loggah, Director of Suntaa-Nuntaa, a Non Governmental Organisation based at Wa in the Upper West Region.