The Member of Parliament for Gomoa East, Hon Desmond De-graft Paitoo, has called on the government its agencies responsible for forest and environments to enforce laws against illegal logging of timber and related trees in the country.

According to him, the continued cutting of trees indiscriminately is affecting the country’s forest reserves thereby exposing the country to imminent deforestation.

Hon Paitoo who is a member of the Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament made the call in a statement delivered on the floor of Parliament on Friday, March 18, 2022.

The statement was to mark the 2022 International Day of Forests under the theme: “Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption”.

He said the trend is disturbing and must not be allowed to linger as the consequences in the coming years would be dreadful.

“Mr. Speaker, it is sad to mention that, the country’s forests are under various forms of threats, such as illegal farming, lumbering, logging, overgrazing, fuel wood extraction, illegal mining despite the numerous benefits that are obtained from forests. “

“On that note, I humbly call on the government, the Forestry Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other relevant stakeholders to enforce the necessary measures to curb these illegal acts in order to preserve our forests,” Mr. Paitoo said.

Below is Hon Paitoo Full Statement

STATEMENT BY THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR GOMOA EAST CONSTITUENCY, HON. DESMOND DE-GRAFT PAITOO, MP, ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS UNDER THE THEME “FORESTS AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION”.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this statement on the International Day of Forests under the theme “Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption”.

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21st day of March as the International Day of Forests by a resolution on November 28, 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. The first ever forest day was observed on 21st March 2013 under the theme “Forests and their Vital and Life-Sustaining Role”.

HON DESMOND PAITOO

Mr. Speaker, in a message, read on the first ever International Day of Forests, the former Secretary-General of United Nations (UN), Mr. Ban Ki-moon said, and I quote “By proclaiming the International Day of Forests, the United Nations has created a new platform to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forest ecosystems to sustainable development.” Unquote.

Mr. Speaker, Jan McAlpine, the then Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat added that “The first United Nations International Day of Forests is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate our unique relationship to forests and trees.” She continues: “This is the day for the whole world to celebrate not only the gifts that forests and trees provide us but also to unsung heroes, those who make a difference for your forests, your trees and your communities. Find them among you and thank them.”

Mr. Speaker, the UN, nonetheless, permits countries to adjust the date of the celebration of the International Day of Forests to suit their peculiar environments. Toward this path, Ghana utilizes the long stretch of May every year for the celebration of the day to concur with the major rainy and planting season.

Mr. Speaker, this year’s celebration of the International Day of Forests will take place at a high-level panel discussion Online and at the Swedish Pavilion, The Forest, Expo 2020, in Dubai. Participants present will include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), World Congress 2024 and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

Mr. Speaker, the global theme for this year 2022 is “Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption”. This year’s theme aims to emphasize how forest-based innovations, resource efficiency, forest-based products and ecosystems services can contribute to a sustainable lifestyle and accelerate a shift towards more sustainable consumption and production.

Mr. Speaker, all these efforts will help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), good health, well-being and a transition towards low-carbon and green economies.

Mr. Speaker, it is constructive to outline that the theme for each year’s International Day of Forests aims to fits into the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), which requires the security and restoration of environments all over the world.

Mr. Speaker, Ghana has been rated the third most deforested out of 65 nations in a study undertaken by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), with a yearly loss of 2.19% of its forests. Furthermore, according to the Global Forest Watch report, in 2010, Ghana had 7.00Mha (million hectares) of natural forest, extending over 30% of its land area. In 2020, it lost 136Kha (thousand hectares) of natural forest, equivalent to 82.2 Mt (metric ton) of Co2 of emissions.

Mr. Speaker, the Global Forest Watch has also indicated that, in Ghana, between the period of 2001 to 2019, 5.5% of tree cover loss occurred in areas where dominant drivers of loss resulted in deforestation.

Mr. Speaker, this trend is disturbing and must not be allowed to linger as the consequences in the coming years will be dreadful.

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to mention that, the country’s forests are under various forms of threats, such as illegal farming, lumbering, logging, overgrazing, fuelwood extraction, illegal mining despite the numerous benefits that are obtained from forests. On that note, I humbly call on the government, the Forestry Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other relevant stakeholders to enforce the necessary measures to curb these illegal acts in order to preserve our forests.

Mr. Speaker, permit me to mention that, successive governments in Ghana have promoted tree plantation programme across the various level. One such initiative included the Green Ghana Project which was launched last year on the 11th Day of June 2021. The project saw the active participation of the President, Vice-President, Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Head teachers, Students, Clergies, Chiefs and some others who supported the planting of trees.

Mr. Speaker, this was remarkable and historic because the trees planting figures collated indicated that 7 million trees were planted under the project which exceeded it intended 5 million targets. This clearly depicts a significant way to protect our environment and ecosystem.

Mr. Speaker, as the Day is being celebrated today across the world in anticipation of its celebration in Ghana, I urge Ghanaians to visit beautiful places where trees are in greater number to feel the fragrance, calmness and affection of trees. Places to be visited can include the Aburi Botanical Gardens, Legon Botanical Gardens, Bui National Park, Ayum Forest reserve and many others as our modest contribution to the ongoing celebration worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, to bring this statement to an end, I would like to share this quote with the good people of Ghana and the world at large from Franklin D. Roosevelt. It states “A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people”. Unquote.

Thank you for the opportunity and the audience.

Source: expressnewsghana.com

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