Funding for biodiversity conservation declines

Nkwanta-South, June 21, GNA - Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, has said public funding towards the provision of proper biodiversity conservation continues to decline in many developing countries including Ghana. Hitherto, he said, adequate financial outlays were vital for ensuring effective development and management of such wildlife estates and protected areas for socio-economic resilience. Mr Adjei-Yeboah said this at a conference on the development of the Kyabobo National Park (KNP) at Nkwanta.

The Netherlands embassy funding of 3.2 million Euro spanning 2002-2008 facilitated the development of infrastructure and capacity building of the park and this financial support is coming to an end on June 30. The KNP is a cross-border national park of about 250 square kilometers and fuses with that of Fazao-Malfakassa of Togo. He said government was mainstreaming private/public partnership into the development of wildlife estates and harness their tourism potentials. Mr Adjei-Yeboah said government would not sit aloft and watch the deterioration of KNP considering its potential of becoming a Safari park.

Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah, Executive Director of Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, said adequate relationships had been developed with their Togolese counterparts for the trans-border management of the park and that relationship with fringe communities have been strengthened for total collaboration. Mr Joseph Booker Denteh, Nkwanta South District Chief Executive, thanked the Royal Netherlands government for financing the park.