By Vivian Amoah
At a press conference in Accra, the Forest Watch highlighted dangers to some of Ghana’s forest reserves.
Ghana’s forest reserves are facing imminent danger due to inaction on implementing regulations aimed at ensuring the sustainable management of the country’s timber resources.
The Forest Watch Coalition, a group of civil society organisations working in the forestry sector, sounded the alarm on what they termed “the government’s failure to ratify permits and leases for timber logging”.
According to the coalition, out of 148 permits and leases flagged in 2014, only 11 have been ratified, leaving 137 pending. This delay has repercussions for Ghana’s forest resources and trade in legal timber.
“The government’s inaction is putting our forest reserves at risk of illegal mining and logging,” said a representative of the Forest Watch Coalition.
“We urge the government to expedite the ratification process and publish a roadmap for implementing sustainable forest management laws.”
The Coalition warned that Ghana’s failure to implement the Timber Resources Management Regulation of 2017 could lead to the loss of access to the European Union market for legal timber.
“Ghana has missed all timelines for implementing laws on sustainable forest management,” said the representative. “We cannot afford to add illegal logging to the destruction already caused by illegal mining.”
The Forest Watch Coalition is calling on the government to:
– Expedite the ratification process and finalise all leases by the end of 2024
– Publish a roadmap for implementing sustainable forest management laws, including trade in legal timber
The Coalition has offered to support the government in protecting timber resources and ensuring legal timber trade.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Forestry Commission, and Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Forestry have been urged to take immediate action to address the challenges facing Ghana’s forest resources and timber trade.
