The Last Man Goes With The Last Tree

30 years ago when Kojo Adu was growing up at Nsemere in the Wenchi Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region, there were giant trees everywhere.

Kojo loved the green tall trees and the fresh air and has fond memories of the area. He used to run around as well as take long walk near the forest on his way to the family’s farm.

Today, the story is different, considerable portions of the once-extensive forests have been destroyed.

Large portions of the natural vegetation have been destroyed due to the clearing of land for agriculture and construction of houses.

Data at the Forestry commission show that there are 20 forest reserves covering a total of area of 233,469 hectors in the Brong Ahafo, however the activities of illegal timer operators, which have been on the rise in recent times, have left the conserved areas with damaged trees.

It is not only in the Brong Ahafo that forest is lost every year since forest in every part of Ghana has been decreasing rapidly and significantly.

Large tracts of forest have been cleared for the cultivation of cash crops such as cocoa, Jetropha, which thrive in the rich soil of the rain forest while bulldozers of rich mining companies are cutting down trees to make way for their operations.

In the Northern part of the country, deforestation, overgrazing and periodic drought have led to desertification and soil erosion.

There has been rampant encroachment of our forest reserves in recent times due to the production of timber for export and the local market as well.

Kwabena A. Otu-Danquah, Chief of the Renewable Energy Division of the Energy Commission is worried about the indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal and firewood which has become a very lucrative business.

It is difficult to regulate the industry and put a stop to the practice because charcoal happens to be the major source of energy for cooking in most Ghanaian homes,.

He said his outfit discovered that large volumes of charcoal were being exported out of the country under the non–traditional export and “we decided that if we allow people to export without permit the country will become a desert in the not-too-distance future.”

Ghana’s rate of forest depletion has hit 62,000 hectares annually and the country’s forest is currently regarded as one of the highest degraded in the developing world.

The poor rating is because the country’s total forest cover of 8.2 million hectares during the 20th century has been reduced to about one million presently.

The lost of forest is presenting a major challenge to policy makers and environmentalists, who are proposing various forms of measures to redeem the situation.

To address the alarming level of degradation and depletion of the country’s forests, government has decided to strictly enforce policies and associated legislation on forestry to ensure the sustainability of natural resource and bio-diversity conservation in the country.

Government in February this year launched the National Plantation Development Programme as part of efforts to reduce the rate of deforestation and significantly bringing down its effects on rural communities.

So far about 10,000 hectares of forest plantation have been attained out of the targeted 51,000 hectares of forest projected to be planted by end of 2011.

According to Afari Dartey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission, degraded forest reserves and off-reserve areas will be replanted to achieve a sustainable resource base that will satisfy future demands for industrial timber and enhance environmental quality.

The programme had so far created 40,000 jobs in districts across the country in the areas of seedling production, land clearance, planting and other tending activities.

Collins Dauda, Minister of Forestry, Lands and Natural Resources, believes the forestry sector is receiving attention in recent times, both in terms of its relevance and contribution to resolving national problems and the large quantum of resources being poured into it to achieve the desired goals.

Ghana has ratified international agreements protecting tropical forests, wetlands, and the ozone layer and this has led to the banning of the export of raw logs.

Hon. Dauda maintained that efforts were also underway to restructure the timber processing sector to achieve increased value-addition before exports.

Experts have said that the world’s ability to control climate change could be crippled if global leaders do not support clear and effective targets to address deforestation.

At the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, this December proposals have come up for key agreements on a global strategy to reduce emissions as a result of deforestation and forest degradation, known as REDD+.

Government negotiators meeting in Cancun are considering several proposals to tackle climate change, including the emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation, which account for 15 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

Gerald Steindlegger, Policy Director of World Wildlife Fund, said reaching an agreement on REDD+ is critical to saving forests, preserving biodiversity, and benefitting people.

This is because an estimated 60 million indigenous people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihoods, and forest resources directly support the livelihood of 90 percent of the 1.2 billion people who are extremely poverty,
“But because a few critical issues are unresolved, there’s a real risk that governments could end up with a REDD+ deal that doesn’t benefit people or the planet. The world’s governments need to ensure they get REDD+ right,” he said.

REDD+ aims to reduce emissions by having developed countries pay developing countries not to destroy their forests.

Trees act as one of the largest storage for carbon on earth and helps to reduce emissions.

Benefits of forest cover is enormous because aside helping to curb climate changes; it reduces the rate of water runoff as well as protects soil erosion.

Because trees transpire large quantity of water and shade to the soil, their destruction often leads to a hotter and dryer climate.

The forest also serves as an avenue for recreational activities and tourist attraction, which go a long way to pump money into the economy of the country.

Removal of trees causes rapid runoff and flooding, which makes oil erosion more rampant.

The constant harvesting of trees along streams and rivers drastically reduces the fish as increased exposure of water bodies to sunlight may negatively affect the fish.