Forestry Commission donates to Ga Mantse Environment Fund

Presenting a cheque to the Ga Mantse, King Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, at his palace last Friday (August 29), the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Dr Hugh A. Brown, stressed that traditional authorities were key stakeholders in environmental protection and needed to exert their authority to complement mandated state institutions.

“We acknowledge that chiefs are the custodians of the land and their authority matters a lot when it comes to protecting our forests, Ramsar sites and other ecological ecosystems; that is why we will continue to deepen collaboration with traditional authorities as part of our strategy to fulfil our mandate,” he said.

The presentation was done when Dr Brown led a delegation from the Forestry Commission to pay a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse.

Good initiative
Dr Brown commended the Ga Mantse for initiating the Health, Environmental and Sanitation Fund to help with the promotion of positive attitudes in the health and environmental sector.

“What the Ga Mantse is doing with the fund quite aligns with the mandate of the Forestry Commission. We are particularly happy about the environmental aspect of the initiative, and that is why we are supporting it,” he said.

The CEO gave the assurance that the Forestry Commission would collaborate with the Ga Mantse and the GTC to plant trees to restore the country’s degraded vegetation.

Again, he said the commission was committed to working closely with the GTC to enforce environmental laws within the Greater Accra Region.

For instance, he said the increasing encroachment activities on Ramsar sites and wetlands in the Greater Accra Region were alarming and needed enhanced partnership between the commission and the traditional authorities to overcome.

“We have served public notice in the Friday, August 29 edition of the Daily Graphic about the enforcement of the law to protect wetlands. I am stating clearly here that we are poised to carry out what we said we will do,” he said. E-books on Ghanaian history

He added that the commission would start with the reclamation of the core area of the wetlands and buffer zones before tackling the bigger picture.

“We need to free those areas so that the wetlands can continue providing the environmental services that they were set up to do – to help reduce the risk of floods and serve as a fertile environment for aquatic life and migratory birds,” he said.

Ga Mantse assurance
King Teiko Tsuru II assured the Forestry Commission Chief Executive that the GTC would support the commission to deal with all manner of environmental crimes, particularly in the Greater Accra Region.

He said through the fund, the council would champion public awareness and education initiatives on environmental protection.

He stressed that any activity that negatively impacted the environment was anti-developmental and needed to be nipped in the bud.

The Ga Mantse commended President John Dramani Mahama for appointing an indigene of the Greater Accra Region to head the Forestry Commission, and pledged unwavering support to the commission and its activities.

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