We need to protect our forest - Dartey

The Forestry Commission (FC) celebrated the first Forestry Week with a durbar held in Takoradi and a call on all Ghanaians to protect the forest for the present and future generation.

The Week, was held to coincide with the World Forestry Day being observed on the theme “forests, our hope, our future” while the durbar had its sub-theme “the contribution of forest to humanity: the role of stakeholders.

Mr Samuel Afari Dartey, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, said negative practices, towards the forest without due regard for their sustainability have the potential to plunge Ghana into a net of importer of wood in the near future.

He said there was the need to fight the menace of illegal forest operators like illegal farming, illegal mining, indiscriminate felling of trees and forest degradation.

He underscored the need for all stakeholders and every citizen to assist the Commission to expose the perpetrators whose activities tend to degrade the forest for their personal gains to the disadvantage of the nation.

He warned, “the Commission would not condone nor connive with such irresponsible acts so we must collectively resist such tendencies which tend to expose us to danger and rather cluster around and embrace productive ventures”.

Mr Dartey implored the youth to resist the temptation of being hired and used to further the unguarded desire of some people to exploit the forest resources for their personal gains to our disadvantaged.

Mr Mike Hammah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, in a speech read for him, gave the assurance that the Forestry Commission is working closely with various investors to develop ecotourism in the country.

Under this, he said, resources like the Cape Three Points and the Ankasa National Park would be developed to improve income generation potential of the forestry to improve the livelihood of the communities in the area.

Mr Hammah said he was not happy that “the economic motivation to manage these forests is usually absent, reflecting sometimes in the allocation of budgetary resources to the sub-sector of the ministry thereby constraining our ability to manage, protect and develop Ghana’s forest resources”.

He called for the support of government’s development programme which has created over 20,000 jobs to secure and renew our forest resources in order to optimize the flow of benefits from forests.

Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, the Western Regional Minister called on the adults to inculcate in the youth the habit of tree planting and nurture them for the nation to have continuous forest.

Nana Kobina Nketsia, Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area, said those behind the negative practices to the forest and environment to cease forthwith since their action tend to derail the nation’s economy.

He entreated the youth to take the ecological studies seriously for them to be responsible towards the forest and environment.**