Let’s form more governance structures to curb forest depletion

Let’s form more governance structures to curb forest depletion

Ghana - 28 July, 2022

A Project Manager of Tropenbos Ghana, an organization working to increase forest cover and promote climate-resilient practices, Mr. Daniel Kofi Abu, has suggested the formation of more governance structures to help curb the challenges of forest depletion and climate change in Ghana.

According to him, Ghana is fast becoming vulnerable to climate impacts, making it critical to adopt smart measures to avert future disasters. Mr. Abu made these observations at Nkoranza, where his outfit was inaugurating a board to manage landscape challenges within the transitional area. The board christened ‘Landscape Management Board’ (LMB) targets biodiversity conservation, building climate resilience, and reducing emissions from land-use changes in Ghana.

In his remarks during the inauguration of the board in Nkoranza, Mr. Abu indicated that the transition landscape in Ghana faces exponential damage posing serious risks to its ecosystem. He called for immediate measures to address the issue. “We believe that the way forward is to develop smart landscape governance, and that is why we are forming a landscape board to execute some of these development initiatives,” he disclosed. Mr. Daniel Abu also said, “key among the objectives of the LEAN project is promoting climate-smart landscape by using governance structures.”

For her part, the Deputy Forestry Manager for Nkoranza North and South forest zones, Madam Hannah Marrie lauded the move by Tropenbos Ghana and EcoCare Ghana in setting up a board to assist them. She recounted government’s effort to stem desertification in the country. According to her, the Green Ghana project is a clear example of the government’s commitment to restoring forest cover. She however bemoaned the activities of herdsmen and illegal chainsaw operators which poses a grave threat to their efforts. Madam Hannah Marrie revealed that although her outfit has managed to chalk some successes in the government’s tree planting exercise in 2021, the activities of the new Landscape Management Board are earnestly needed.

“Last year, during the tree planting exercise, we were able to achieve a success rate of 85 percent out of the 52,000 trees planted. Our main challenge has been the lack of vehicles and the illegal activities of herdsmen. We believe our collaboration with the new LMB will help us to fight our course,” She said. The Landscape Management Board is expected to achieve significant milestones in agriculture and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers within the transition landscape under the Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (LEAN) project. The project is funded by the European Union.