40% of forest reserve in Eastern Region degraded – Forestry Commission

Mr Atta Owusu, Eastern Regional Manager, Forestry Commission, on Friday disclosed that 40 per cent of the Region’s forest reserve have been degraded mainly through human activities.

He mentioned some of the activities as illegal chainsaw operations, illegal farming, illegal mining (galamsey operation), illegal logging, annual recurrent wildfire and overgrazing.

Mr Owusu disclosed this in a speech read on his behalf at the Regional Forestry Forum (ERFF) in Koforidua.

He indicated that the Region had forty-eight forest reserves which constituted nine per cent of the total land area of the Region.

Mr Owusu said since 2002, about 8,841 hectares of plantations of various trees species had been established with the support of fringe communities around the forest reserves in the Region.

He observed that after the launch of the National Forest Plantation Development Programme by President John Evans Atta Mills in 2010, an attempt was made to continue reforesting the degraded forest reserves as well as off-reserves areas throughout the country with the involvement of District assemblies and local communities.

He added that in 2010, the Region established about 1,429 hectares of plantation of various species.

Mr Owusu appealed for collaboration of all and sundry to join in the crusade of protecting and replenishing the natural resources.

Dr Kwasi Akyem Apea-Kubi, Eastern Regional Minister, in a speech read for him, expressed worry over illegal logging and illegal mining, saying, “It is fast depleting the forest and wildlife as well as mineral resources”.

“It is unthinkable and tears sharing when we look at the rate at which mining activity both legal and illegal are destroying biodiversity which includes pollution of water bodies”, he observed.

Osabarima Sarpong Kumankuma II, Chief of Adankrono, urged all and sundry to take bold decisions to report those whose actions tend to degrade the environment.

Source: GNA