The District Chief Executive for Amansie Central Hon. Emmanuel Obeng Agyeman, has expressed deep concern over the growing threats facing Ghana’s forest reserves, warning that the destruction of the country’s forests could have devastating consequences for future generations if urgent action is not sustained.
According to him, the fight to conserve Ghana’s forests has become increasingly difficult due to the persistent activities of illegal miners and illegal lumber operators who continue to degrade the environment and threaten the nation’s biodiversity.
Speaking during the handing over and inauguration ceremony of forest protection camps and checkpoint accommodation facilities constructed for the Forestry Commission by the United Kingdom Government in the District yesterday, Hon. Emmanuel Obeng Agyeman noted that forest conservation has now become one of the most critical environmental challenges confronting the country.
He explained that while illegal logging has long been a major problem in many forest communities, recent years have seen a significant rise in illegal mining activities within forest reserves, causing extensive destruction to vegetation, water bodies, wildlife habitats, and the overall ecosystem.
The DCE stressed that the situation poses a serious threat to the future survival of communities that depend on the forests for livelihood, rainfall patterns, clean water, and environmental stability.
“Fighting to conserve our forests is a major problem here in Ghana,” he stated. “Apart from illegal lumbering, we are now also battling illegal mining activities in the forests, which continue to destroy biodiversity and the ecosystem.”
He cautioned that failure to tackle the menace decisively could lead to severe environmental consequences in the coming years.
“If we do not fight this menace well, as the NDC government has resolved to do, the future will look bleak. When the forest is destroyed, the consequences become severe and may even force people to search for other places to survive,” he warned.
Hon. Obeng further commended the United Kingdom Government for supporting Ghana’s efforts to protect its forests through the construction and donation of the forest protection camps and checkpoint accommodation facilities to the Forestry Commission in the District.
According to him, the facilities will provide officers and forest guards with improved accommodation and operational support to strengthen surveillance and enforcement activities within the forest reserves.
He indicated that the initiative would significantly improve the comfort and effectiveness of forestry personnel as they work tirelessly to safeguard the country’s natural resources from illegal exploitation.
The DCE also used the occasion to call on officers and users of the facilities to cultivate a strong maintenance culture to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the infrastructure.
He stressed that proper maintenance of the facilities would help preserve their purpose and guarantee that future generations of forestry officers continue to benefit from them.
“I want to urge all users of these facilities to ensure proper maintenance. A good maintenance culture will help extend the lifespan of the facilities and enable them to serve their intended purpose effectively,” he added.
The handing over and inauguration ceremony brought together government officials, traditional authorities, forestry officers headed by Isaac Essien,board chairman , development partners, and stakeholders in the environmental sector, all united in the collective effort to strengthen forest governance and combat environmental crimes in Ghana.
The newly commissioned camps at Numereso are expected to boost frontline operations against illegal mining and illegal logging activities, particularly within vulnerable forest reserves across the country.
