Edmond Gyebi
17 June 2004
Sunyani — The country's high loss of over 75% of its original high forest cover and other valuable structures and resources through wildfires has been blamed on the activities of men and climatic hazards.
The remaining 25% of the forest resources still faces enormous threat, due to the rapid population growth, general disregard of environmental conservation, improper disposal of industrial and domestic waste, illegal and uncontrolled logging and the annual ritual of wild and bush fires.
The Executive Director of the Forest Service Division, Mr. John Ekow Otoo has therefore expressed the need for all Ghanaians to defend and respect the National Wildfire Management Policy to prevent the country from further devastating annual wildfires, which have had a significant negative impact on the socio-economic and environmental well being of the country.
According to him, the annual incidence of wildfire ranges from 30% in the high forest and transitional zones to over 90% in the dry Northern Savanna zones.
Mr. Otoo noted that, apart from the continued destruction of the structure and composition of forest cover and the ecosystem in general, the country's annual loss from wildfire is currently estimated at $24 million (equivalent of ¢216 billion).
The Executive Director made this known at the regional Consultative workshop on National Wildfire Management Policy in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo Region last week.
The workshop, which was organised by the Ministry of Lands and Forestry, drew participants from both Brong Ahafo and Eastern regions.
Mr. Otoo explained that, the country had spent billions of cedis on the on-going forest Plantation Development Program spearheaded by the Minister of Lands and Forestry.
"If adequate and proactive measures are not taken to address the menace the establishment may be under a serious threat," he added.
The formulation of the National Wildfire Management Policy by the ministry, according to the Director, would guide the management of wildfire in their operations.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Nana Kwadwo Seinti, noted that the rein in the last few years has been able to leading the national crusade against wild and bush fires, which together were the single largest cause of forest and vegetable cover loss in the country.
The good efforts of the region towards the fight, he said, have yielded dividends because he noted the region was able to preserve 75% of its vegetable cover.
According to Nana Seinti, this has led to the abundant supply of foodstuff all year round as the burning if food farms in the dry seasons have reduced drastically.
The Minister also identified some of the loopholes in the region's anti-bush fire laws that led to the long existing bush and wild fires in the Brong Ahafo in which many lives and property were lost.
Some of the loopholes Nana Seinti stated were; the weak sanction and reward regimes, apathy, inadequate logistics and motivation for agencies in wildfire prevention. Others were; lack of control and protection, management and the prevalence of unhelpful traditional practices and festivals.
Nana Seinti prayed that the policy when finalised, would address all these and other obstacles militating against wildfire management in the country as well as complementing the government efforts to reduce poverty.
He was hopeful that the right enforcement of the policy would significantly benefit the region since it has a large number of eco-tourism sites, which have a great potential for the tourism industry in the country.
The Regional Minister urged the law enforcement agencies and the various stakeholders in the region to be proactive in prevention, control and management of wildfires to save the region from economic losses.
The National Coordinator of the Wildfire Management Program, Mr. Oheneba Amponsah Agyeman briefing the people on the overview of the policy, noted that, some of the prime objectives of the program are to rehabilitate fire degradation forests in the transitional zones and to recover economic, social and environmental benefit.
It is also to establish permanent incentives for reduction of fire incidence and to also put in place a system, which would help the organisation to detect where there would be any fire outbreak.
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