Forestry C’ssion inaugurates committee to protect forest reserves in Sissala East, West districts
The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission (FC) has inaugurated a committee in the Sissala East and Sissala West Districts of the Upper West Region to protect forest reserves around the area.
Dubbed, ‘Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) Executive Committee (CEC),’ it is clothed with the mandate of protecting available natural resources for sustainable use and protect it for future generations.
The committee is to oversee the implementation of government’s new plan to involve local people in the management of designated forest resources in the country.
The Director of Stakeholders and Eco-Tourism, Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, Mr Richard Gyimah made the call at the inauguration ceremony at Tumu in the Sissala East Municipal on Friday.
He said the committee aimed at protecting natural resources which included animals, forest, and water bodies among others in the area.
He advised the executive committee to always work together to help prevent illegal activities that would destroy the environment.
“It is my hope that with the support of all stakeholders in this landscape, the newly inaugurated CEC would take up this challenge and work effectively to ensure that the CREMA succeed on all fronts,” he said.
Mr Gyimah indicated that the CREMA mechanism was a decentralised community based natural resources management framework that enabled local people to manage their natural resources.
He said one of the greatest strengths of the CREMA mechanisms was when it founded in alignment with the traditional norms, beliefs and values system while being synchronised with a democratic decision making and governance process.
He said engaging with Chiefs and respecting local protocols was the best way to win support in establishing and sustaining CREMA in the area.
He asked the executives to cooperate with traditional leaders and stakeholders to help strengthen and enforce environmental to prevent acts that endangered the lives of species like elephants.
The Project Manager of Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP), Mr Baapeng Emmanuel said the GSLERP project was lunched by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to restore 200,000 hectres of forest reserve through self-financing community management in CREMAs, restoring 100,000ha of shea parklands and 25,500 degraded forest reserves.
He reiterated that climate change was a threat that needed global attention and collaborative efforts of all and sundry.
The Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Fuseini Yakubu Batong said CREMA seeks to bring together communities that shared common resources to jointly take affirmative actions to manage their shared natural resources for sustainability.
FROM RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA
