File photo: Men carry a chainsaw and gasoline further into the rainforest
Member of Parliament for Oforikrom Dr Emmanuel Marfo is calling for a comprehensive approach to tackle the illegal lumbering menace in the country.
According to Dr Emmanuel Marfo the local wood industry is being starved of supply while wood gets transported out of the country by illegal chain saw operators.
Dr Marfo who has considerable academic writings in natural resources management contends government has to commence an exercise to stop the illegal lumbering business along with a mass plantation exercise to meet the demand for wood in the country.
Speaking to Ultimate News’ Ivan Heathcote Fumador, he explained that, “the lumbering problem is a demand problem because the domestic demand is high above the legal supply.”
In Ghana the last study we did suggest that we are exporting almost two hundred and fifty cubic meters of wood to the Sahelian countries including Burkina Faso, and Niger.”
If we block even half of that supply and it stays in Ghana, it will be able to fee the domestic market.
He added that if the nation is able to check the illegal lumbering and export of lumber and “compliment that with a very aggressive plantation development program that will ensure sustainability of the tree resources that we have then we will be getting somewhere.
Experts say Ghana loses two percent of its forest cover every year ranking the country among one of the countries with the fastest rate of deforestation.
Dr Emmanuel Marfo indicated that stamping out the illegal lumbering and the unlawful export of wood would be a commendable action the ministry of lands and natural resources should be looking at alongside the anti galamsey efforts.
Dr Marfo however warned that if government fails to implement a tree plantation plan, the use of force will yield no positive result.
