Forestry Commission acquires six vehicles to fight illegal activities

The Forestry Commission is considering setting up a Forestry Court to be dedicated to prosecuting offences that militate against the sustainable management of forest resources.

The Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Samuel Afari Dartey, who announced this, said discussions were on going with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission to explore the possibility of establishing the court.

Mr Afari Dartey was speaking during a presentation of six operational vehicles to the Rapid Response Unit of the Commission.

The vehicles, which were procured at the cost of GH¢ 1 million, were purchased directly from the Commission's Internally Generated Funds.

Mr Afari Dartey said despite the many environmental benefits of forest Resources, the Commission is unable to secure funding to carry out its task of protecting and regulating the use of wildlife and forest resources.

He said management has to purchase the vehicles to ensure that the fight against degradation and the wanton destruction of the forest cover were stemmed in the bud.

The Coordinator of the Rapid Response Unit, Mr Luri Kanton Bahian said the Unit has chalked many achievements, including salvaging 372 hectares of illegal farm lands in the forest reserves and seizing more than 133 vehicles engaged in various illegal activities.

He said inadequate number of vehicles for effective field operations remained a challenge and expressed the hope that the new vehicles would help the Unit to quickly respond to distress call from the field.

Mr Bahian assured management that the vehicles would be put to good use and that the Unit would adhere strictly to regular maintenance schedules in order to prolong their life span.