Stakeholders attend forestry forum at Bechem

Mr Zakari Bukari Anaba, Tano South District Chief Executive, at the weekend called on the Forestry Commission to task its agents to protect forest reserves against depletion to avoid desertification.

He said the fast depletion of the country’s virgin forests was paving way to climate change and the situation had made it difficult for any reliable weather forecasts to be made.

Mr Anaba was addressing a forestry forum at Bechem, capital of the district, organised by the Brong-Ahafo Regional office of the Commission for stakeholders in the industry.

The DCE noted that Saharan countries were re-claiming land by planting more trees and this must be an eye opener for Ghanaians to plant trees to avert any calamity.

“When the last tree dies, the last person dies”, Mr Anaba referred to the adage which, he said, signified the importance of trees for human beings.

Mr Aduse Poku, member of the Regional and National Forestry Forum said the objective of the forum was to create a neutral platform for multi-stakeholder groups to discuss and contribute effectively to the sustainable management of the forests and wildlife resources.

He emphasized the District forum was to ensure the resolution of all problems pertaining to forestry management in the area.

On the modified ‘taungya’ system, Mr Poku said individuals would be assigned part of the government off reserves to plant trees and food crops.

He said the beneficiaries would be offered 48 per cent of the trees planted when harvested while the farmer would take the food crops.

A three-member interim forestry forum executive for the District was sworn into office with the district coordinator, Mr Christian Kwame Tetteh, as chairman. Mr Seth Obeng, took the position of Organiser and Mr Isaac Adjei-Mensah, Secretary.

Source: GNA