Ghana to lose forests in 40 years

Denu (Volta Region) - Ghana risks losing its forests within the next 40 years through improper environmental practices, Mr Desmond Doameti, an official of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.

He told a seminar on Wednesday that the threat could be averted through population control, land reforms, regulation of natural resource exploitation, sustainable agriculture and reforestation.

Mr Doameti said Ghana's forest cover had reduced from eight million hectares at the beginning of the last century to 1.2 million hectares by 1998 through human activities such as bush fires, mining and physical development.

Mr Emmanuel Nyonyo, a resource person at the seminar, who spoke on Wetlands, said these were important natural features necessary for protecting flooding, cleaning water bodies of dirt and breeding grounds for aquatic and other creatures.

He warned that the abuse of wetlands through irresponsible garbage disposal, filling for constructional purposes among others, would erase the good environmental benefits from such water bodies.

The Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church, Ghana organised the two-day seminar for teachers, chiefs, assembly members and NGOs under the theme: "Sustainable development, the role of the District Assembly".