A Rocha Ghana Urges Government: Restoring Old Growth Forests Requires More Than Tree Planting.
A Rocha Ghana has hit out at government over its lack of commitment to clamp down on illegal mining and mining in forest reserves in the country.
This was one of the key issues raised on Friday, June 9, when the non-Profit environmental organisation held a press conference in Accra to commemorate this year’s Green Ghana Day.
Addressing the press conference, Mr Daryl Bosu, Deputy National Director for A Rocha Ghana stressed that unless government tackles illegal mining and takes key measures to protect forest reserves, it can plant billions of trees every year but it will be much ado about nothing.
“The forests must be fully protected from all mining, both government-licensed and galamsey, otherwise their integrity and capacity to support life will soon be gone. Government’s Green Ghana Day can plant 500 billion trees every year, but it can never bring back Ghana’s old growth forests,” Mr. Bosu said.
At the press conference organised on the theme “Mining in Forest Reserves: It is time to break through silence”, the A Rocha Ghana Deputy National Director noted that it is disheartening that despite numerous efforts by successive governments to combat the menace, it continues to persist and has even exacerbated the widespread ecological destruction that the country continue to witness today.
He added that the government’s neglect and failure in addressing this issue raises serious questions about its commitment to protecting the environment and securing the green future of the nation, as has been heralded by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on numerous platforms locally and internationally.
As part of proposals, A Rocha Ghana and its collaborators including Nature Development Foundation, Ecoconscious Citizens, Youth Alliance for Green Ghana, and Ghana Youth Environment Movement want government to stop issuing permits to companies to enter forest reserves.
“There is real concern that L.I. 2462 will accelerate already depleted destruction of Forest Estates, the Forestry Commission must stop granting any Forest entry permits for mining in Forest reserves while the Minerals Commission should immediately revoke all Mining licences in the reserves beginning with those granted to irresponsible companies.
“The L.I. 2462 must also be revoked and replaced with an Act that bands all mining and Forests reserves,” Daryl Bosu said at the press conference.
Government marked the 2023 Green Ghana Day on Friday on the theme: “Our Forests, Our Health” with a target to plant at least 10 million tree seedlings across the country.
Already, government says it is nurturing over 23 million trees planted from the last two editions of Green Ghana Day.
Source: Modern Ghana