The Ghana Millennium Development Goals 2015 report by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) indicates that the depletion of the country?s forest cover continues at an alarming rate.
According to the report, Ghana has a total forest area of 9.2 million hectares made up of 1.79 million hectares of close forest and 7.4 million hectares of open forest.
It said Ghana lost 2.51 million hectares (or 33.70 per cent) of its forest cover between 1990 and 2010, representing a 2.03 per cent average annual loss over the period.
The report, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday by the NDPC, observed that the rate of deforestation dropped marginally from 1.99 per cent in 1990-2000 to 1.97 per cent in 2000-2005, and subsequently rose significantly to 2.19 per cent in 2005-2010.
It said the estimated annual average deforestation rate for 2011 and 2012 was estimated at 1.37 per cent meanwhile, the afforestation effort through tree planting had been very slow.
It noted that in 1990, about 50,000 hectares were recorded, representing 0.7 per cent of total forest cover and this increased to 60,000 hectares or 1.0 per cent of total forest cover in 2000.
It said the country stepped up the afforestation effort to record 160,000 hectares in 2005 and 260,000 hectares in 2010.
The report stated that this translated into an annual average increase in planted forest from 1.84 per cent in 1990-2000 to 21.7 per cent in 2000-2005 and 10.2 per cent in 2005-2010.
It indicated that a number of interventions had been carried out to slow down the rate of deforestation and eventually reverse it.
These include establishment of 168,910 hectares of forest plantation, mainly within degraded forest reserves, under the National Forest Plantation Development Programme 2002-2012.
It recommended operations of a Rapid Response Unit to stem the rampant encroachment of forest reserves and protected areas, as well as to addressing illegal logging, mining and settlement.
Others are ensuring compliance with regulations and laws that protect Ghana?s natural resources and the passage of resource regulations 2012-2014, as part of efforts to enable implementation of Legality Assurance System and building capacity for monitoring and assessment of environment degradation costs.
According the report, some of the specific challenges to fighting deforestation and degradation are weak enforcement of laws and regulations of forestry, wildlife and other natural resources.
It mentioned excessive logging, unsustainable agricultural practices, bushfires, cutting of fuelwood, mining and quarrying and increasing demand for forestry products due to population growth and urbanization.
Source: GNA
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9 Comments
good work man
Posted 03-02-2018 18:43
thanks for sharing.
Posted 03-02-2018 18:42
very bad for the environment .
Posted 03-02-2018 18:42
Bornaventure, thank you for your report. I am deeply worried about the depletion of forests in Ghana. Among various resources, depletion of forest is one of the most alarming I believe. Can you tell us how Ghana is trying to deal with the issue? Or if you find any major measures please tell us.
Posted 06-08-2017 21:15
Thanks Bornaventure, for highlighting this issue. As I understand, forest products and resources play a very big role in livelihood and food security in Ghana, providing sustenance and revenue for many in the country. A more effective approach will require the integration of sustainable livelihood activities into national forestry policies, with collaboration between stakeholders and policy makers. Stringent enforcement of laws and regulations will also be needed.
Wishing the best in this direction, for the efforts by the government, other agencies and a better awareness among the masses.
Posted 01-08-2017 05:01
An eye opener for sure
Posted 01-08-2017 04:33
It is sad to read that forest depletion continues to increase in Ghana. People should understand the benefits of forest as an important resource in the eco-system and as a vast reservoir of resources and biodiversity. Government should put in place National Forest Plantation projects, should implement laws and initiatives aimed at suppressing the demand for illegal timber such that it would become unattractive to those engaging in such acts. Environmental and specifically forest protection is a universal responsibility for all and requires collaboration and partnership among stakeholders. All should be at the centre of sustainable forest management. There is an urgent need for Ghana to plant more trees aggressively to reverse the current trend of deforestation. Thanks for the report.
Posted 01-08-2017 02:11
Hi Bornaventure! Thanks for shairng your report on deforestation.
I'm sorry to hear that deforestation is still getting more seious even if there are a lot of discussions went on and meausres taken. As you pointed out, how we implement the laws is as important as how we set the laws and rules. Hope we chould hear better news next time!
Posted 01-08-2017 00:45
Very rightly reported by you that weak enforcement of laws and regulations are the main cause of deforestation. Ghana is rich in forest area. It must reverse the deforestation activities on a stringent scale. Thanks for sharing the information about Ghana MDG's report.
Posted 31-07-2017 19:06