Accra — The local consumption and export of bush meat generates about $300 million dollars into the Ghanaian economy every year.

According to Mr. Samuel Afari Dartey, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, part of the reasons for making the Forestry Sector the fourth foreign exchange earner for the country was the high earnings from bush meat. "Timber exports alone generated 250 million euros last year and the forest reserves also attract huge numbers of tourists every year," he said.

At present, the Forestry Sector is fourth to cocoa, gold and tourism on the foreign exchange earners chart.

Earlier, during the opening of a national stakeholders' workshop on the implementation of the non-legally binding instruments (NLBI) on all types of forests in Ghana, Mr. Dartey said but for deforestation and forest degradation, the earnings would have been higher.

A study in 2004 showed that Ghana lost at least $300 million every year to degradation and deforestation. "Farming alone is responsible for 15 million cubic metres of forest land loss and mining (legal and illegal) as well as other illegal activities account for five million cubic metres of land loss every year," he said. Again, farmers tended to do trial and error in the search for the right soil for the cultivation of particular crops. In the process they destroyed vast forest areas.

Mr. Dartey said there was the need for a Land Use Policy (LUP) in Ghana to guide particularly farmers on what type of soil was useful for the cultivation of what type of crop, in order to prevent the destruction of large tracts of land in the bid to locate appropriate soil. "The LUP will be research based to ensure that farmers are directed in their choice of land for cultivation of particular crops," he added.

Mr Henry Kamel-Ford, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, noted that Ghana was among the first countries to have adopted a systematic approach to the implementation of the 24-point NLBI. He told the workshop that Government was committed to the action plan to be developed from the workshop.

Ghana has so far scored high marks on the implementation of six out of the 24-point NLBI in sustainable forest management. Suggestions from three regional stakeholder meetings has also evolved with suggestions on how to make good the remaining 16.

So far, proposals for discussion include increased private sector involvement; cross-sectoral coordination; enforcement of forestry laws; training and public education; use of science and technology and effective financial strategies. -GNA