Mr Joe Appiah Frimpong, Aowin District Manager of the Forestry Commission, has called on stakeholders to embrace collaborative forest management to safeguard Ghana‘s forest reserves.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Enchi, he noted that while the Commission previously managed forest protection alone, increasing population pressures and the activities of illegal miners and loggers now require joint efforts to prevent further depletion.
Mr Appiah explained that the Forestry Commission continues to engage stakeholders, local opinion leaders, and residents living near forest reserves on the importance of conservation.
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He emphasised that the Commission is actively working to protect all eight forest reserves within the Aowin Forestry Division and urged community support to achieve this goal.
Highlighting recent enforcement actions, he announced that the Rapid Response Team had seized 34 excavators from the Tano Awia Forest Reserve and 11 from the Tano Nomire portion.
He also called for additional staff to strengthen the current team of 59 personnel tasked with curbing illegal logging and mining activities.
Mr Appiah further noted that a recent visit by the National Identification and Mapping Organisation (NAIMOS) had yielded positive results and appealed to the Ghana Immigration Service and Customs to help secure the country’s borders.
He warned illegal loggers and miners to desist, stressing that the government and Forestry Commission have multiple task forces in place to enforce laws and protect forest reserves.
