Alfred Adams and Zambaga Rufai Saminu
17 September 2009
SEVEN Forest and wildlife reserves, which serve as tourist attraction centers in the region, continue to be under threat of illegal mining, logging and chainsaw operations among others, despite the joint Military and Police Timber Monitoring team formed to curtail the menace.
The seven forest reserves, which continue to be at the mercy of the human illegal activities, are the Manzan Forest Reserve, Sukuku, Bia Tawya, Bodi in Juaboso, Sui River Reserve in Sefwi Wiawso, Tano Ehuru in Enchi, Nueng South in Tarkwa, Tano Suraw extension in Bibiani.
The depleted forest and wildlife reserves amount to a total of 21.917 hectares.
The Regional Manager of the Forest Service Division (FSD), Mr. Kwakye Ameyaw, disclosed this during the inauguration of the Regional Coordinating Team for the Joint Forest Service Division, Military and Police Timber Monitoring Operations at Sekondi, noted, "this trend of forest degradation, if not reversed, will continue to undermine all our efforts aimed at achieving sustainable forest and wildlife management."
To address the menace of illegal forest reserve depletion, the joint Military Police taskforce is being reviewed to top-up the number of military personnel onboard, in the fight against illegal human activities, which are depleting the forest reserves.
That apart, there would also be a concept of stakeholder's participation, and scope of monitoring broadened to cover illegal mining and farming in forest reserves.
In spite of the inability of the joint Military Police team to arrest the menace, Regional Manager Ameyaw noted that the latter chalked some successes in the region, and saying it was gratifying to note that a number of forest reserves such as Kokosua Hills in the Juaboso District would have been devastated, but for the interventions by the taskforce.
He added that over the past two years, a total of 20.47 hectares of illegally cultivated farms had been destroyed by the joint task force operations.
On challenges facing the joint taskforce, Mr. Ameyaw mentioned an increase in encroachment of forest reserves, sophistication and violence in forest crimes, culminating in high casualty rates of Forestry Commission staff and military personnel, of which ten have recorded various degrees of injuries in the past two years.
That, he observed, underscored the need for a collaborative effort by all stakeholders to address the menace, which has far-reaching socio-economic, environmental and security implications on our overall national development agenda.
On the way forward, however, the Regional Manager announced that the FSD was developing a proposal for the launching of the Western Regional Natural Resource Trust Fund in the immediate future.
Under the fund, financial contributions would be solicited from all stakeholders and potential benefactors, and once the resources are mobilised, a management committee would be put in place by the Regional Timber Monitoring Coordinating Committee to manage the funds.
That would ensure that the resources were utilised judiciously, to ensure the sustainable management of forest and wildlife resources of the region, as well as restoration of degraded sites.
The Regional Minister, Mr. Paul Evans Aidoo, on his part, noted that the forests, wildlife and mining were important sectors of the economy, accounting for about 15% of foreign exchange and providing employment.
It was therefore imperative that any setback in the lands and natural resource sector, would present, not only socio-economic and environmental problems, but also security problems. Continuing, the Regional Minister observed that most forest reserves in the country were under serious siege from chainsaw operators, illegal miners, and farmers, who were plundering the nations forest resources with impunity.
According to the Minister, it now appeared that the chainsaw operations and other forest offences had assumed a national crisis, and therefore needed serious concerted national intervention.
Turning his attention to the joint Military Police Taskforce, Minister Aidoo noted that the team formed had seen no transformation to date, since its inception, and the tremendous support given by the military command had yielded no notable success.
Nonetheless, the Regional Minister observed that it was gratifying to note that, but for the interventions by the team, a number of forest reserves would have been depleted by now.
The Ministry Lands and Forestry, under the previous NDC administration in 1996, constituted a joint Timber Taskforce to assist FSD staff check the spate of illegal timber operations, and track down the culprits.
Having undergone various transformations, the team's operations have recently been reviewed to enable it contend more favourably with the challenges of the times.
The current military battalions have teams in their operational command in combating illegal operations.
Similarly, the role of the police has also been very outstanding, most especially in the areas of arrest and prosecution of persistent offenders.
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