By Victoria Agyemang, GNA
Cape Coast, June 8, GNA – The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) has launched the second edition of the ‘one student one tree’ project at Aggrey Memorial Zion Senior High School to enhance the Green Ghana Day Project.
The move by the Ministry is to inculcate values of planting and nurturing trees to maturity in the youth.
It is also to help encourage active participation of residents towards restoring the country’s forest cover.
Mr Benita Owusu Bio, the Deputy Minister of MLNS, said it was imperative to encourage students to support the recovery process of depleted forest cover ravaged mostly by activities of illegal miners.
He said forest reserves played a vital role in the preservation of life and prevented erosion and atmospheric temperature, protected water bodies from siltation and drying up.
“The forest provides medicinal plants, habitat for wildlife, serve as windbreaks, provide raw materials for construction, among others,” he added.
Mr Owusu Bio revealed that more than 85 percent of the Ghanaian population depended on forest resources to satisfy their socio-cultural needs and it must be protected at all cost.
He said that in spite of the numerous benefits received from the forest, the exploitation of the resource for national development had not received the desired impact over the years.
“ Tropical forest in particular, is being depleted at an alarming rate and that needed serious attention “ he stated.
The Deputy Minister revealed that some estimated 10 million hectares of primary tropical forest was lost in 2020 which had dire consequences on mankind.
Hence, the urgent need to make collective efforts and interventions to reduce the menace since the forest is life, he noted, adding that it was in that direction that the President through the Ministry instituted the Green Ghana project to restore the lost forest reserves and continue the global fight against climate change.
Mr Owusu Bio commended all stakeholders for their efforts last year which culminated in exceeding the target of planting between five and seven million trees across the country .
Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Regional Minister in her welcoming address, said she believed the introduction of one student one tree would go a long way to mitigate climate change, protect wetlands, and enhance livelihood for rural communities.
She expressed gratitude to the MLNS for hosting the second edition in the Central Region, adding that it would energize the students to develop the spirit of patriotism, gain practical knowledge regarding the life cycle of trees and appreciating nature.
Mrs Assan pledged the Regional Coordination Councils maximum support and cooperation towards making the project successful.
“We will continue to foster collaboration with institutions and agencies to exceed our target this year,” she said.
The Regional Minister entreated Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assemblies (MMDAs) to support the cause against illegal felling of trees.
GNA
