Landscape Restoration Project: The Way Forward

Landscape Restoration Project: The Way Forward

Ghana - 26 October, 2016

Tropenbos International (TBI) Ghana has been advised to hand over to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) and the Forestry Commission (FC) a synthesis of all research findings and recommendations emanating from research, stakeholder meetings and other activities conducted under the Landscape Restoration Project (LRP) to solicit information about the challenges confronting Smallholder Tree Plantation Developers in Ghana.

This is because the insight into problems confronting Smallholder Tree Plantation Developers provided by the synthesis can be fed into current programmes and actions being implemented by the two institutions to achieve policy goals and strategic objectives of the National Plantation Strategy.

The advice was given by Mrs Valerie Fumey Nassah of the Resource Management and Support Centre (RMSC) of the FC, at a symposium to mark the end of TBI Ghana’s five year phase (2011-2016) during which she touched on ‘The Way Forward’ for the project which ends in December 2016.

The symposium which took place on October 13, 2016 brought together 70 participants made up of members of beneficiary communities of projects implemented by TBI Ghana, traditional authorities, researchers, academics, Civil Society Organisations, farmers, people in industry, policy makers, representatives of the FC, MLNR , Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other governmental agencies.

Mrs Nassah pointed out that there is the need for inter-sectorial dialogue and coordination to address the prevailing drivers of deforestation and degradation in addition to the protection and management of natural forests through the prevention of wildfires, and the promotion of natural regeneration through carefully planned harvesting.

She also suggested that the project could look into the restoration of legal and illegal mining sites, the creation of an enabling environment for small and medium scale reforestation schemes through funding and marketing avenues and strategies to secure land banks for restoration initiatives as areas for further research.