The Bono Regional Division of the Forestry Commission has expressed worry about the rate of cattle invasion on major forest reserves in the region.
According to the Division, if government, chiefs and opinion leaders do not step in and address the situation, their efforts to restore our degraded forest will be in vain.
President Akuffo-Addo on March 1, launched the 2022 Edition of Green Ghana Day, at the Accra International Conference Centre. The theme for this year’s exercise is “Mobilizing for a Greener Future”, is scheduled for June 10, 2022, and expected to plant 20 million seedlings across the country.
The President in his keynote address said that, forests continue to be one of Ghana’s most important resource but regrettably there is a substantial decline of the country’s forest cover and for that matter concerted efforts need to be made to combat the menace.
The Green Ghana Initiative seeks to create a collective action towards restoration of degraded landscapes in the country, mitigate climate change and inculcate in the youth the values of planting and nurturing trees and their associated benefits.
But, speaking to Daily Searchlight’s Collins Fosu-Appiah, the Assistant District Manager for Sunyani, Sophia Annorbah-Sarpei revealed they were able to plant 604,888 seedlings, three times more than the 250,000 target in the maiden edition last year across the region.
She continued that almost 90% of the trees they planted last year are in good condition but their major challenges are cattle invasion and bush fire.
“We are doing our best to restore our degraded forest in the region, but cattle invasion in some areas has been our major challenge. The cattle graze in the forest reserves thereby destroying the plantations and in the dry season, the herbs men intentionally set fire so that they can have fresh weeds for their animals,” she said.
She appealed to all stakeholders especially the chiefs who are owners of the lands to join hands with the commission and combat the menace.
The Bono region is expected to plant 1.2 million seedlings this year out of 20 million national target.
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