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Minister bemoans fragmented forest ecosystem
Accra, Aug. 29, GNA - Mrs. Esther Obeng Dapaah, Minister of
Lands, Forestry and Mines has blamed the state, traditional
and civil society organisations for the nation's highly
fragmented forest ecosystem.
She said satellite images have revealed the fragmented
forest system, which has consequently denied wild animals
the requisite space to regenerate.
Mrs Dapaah made the observation in a speech read on her
behalf at a national workshop at the University Ghana, Legon,
to develop a framework for the establishment and management
of Community Resources Management Areas.
The framework is to be incorporated into Ghana's Forest
Master Plan, which is currently under review.
The CREMA, an initiative of the Wildlife Division of the
Forestry Commission, has the aim of providing skills,
capacity, and finance to communities to better handle and
preserve the forest resources in the areas where a CREMA is
established.
So far one CREMA is fully established at Amokwasoazo in the
Western Region, and at least, there are 15 others at other
areas countrywide and are at different stages of
development.
Mrs. Dapaah recalled that a study commissioned 10 years ago
by the Ministry revealed that annual bush meat consumption
was about 225,000 tonnes and valued at US$ 350 million, but
very little of that amount trickled down to the local
communities.
Also the wildlife based enterprise economy is floundering
and the major players are desperately putting in survival
strategies.
The Minister said the CREMA concept was designed to devolve
responsibility and authority for wildlife management, and
called for support for such programmes to regulate wildlife
utilisation off reserve.
GNA
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