Ecosystem Payment Service Conference Underway

A two-day conference on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) in West Africa is underway in Accra, yesterday. The conference is being organised by the Katoomba Group, which includes experts and practitioners from around the world who seek to address the key challenges facing the ecosystem globally.

The objective of the conference is to introduce participants to the key issues associated with biodiversity conservation and also to discuss the potential and challenges to develop readiness plans for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD).

The conference, being the first in the West African Sub-Region, will also give participants the opportunity to discuss the extent of climate change and poverty as well as the role of biodiversity initiatives and business opportunities for sustainable Agro-forestry.

Dr. Edward Omane- Boamah, Deputy Minister for Environment and Science, mentioned that the planned exploitation of off-shore oil reserves in the south-western parts of the country threaten the richest biodiversity pool in the country.

He, therefore, expressed the government's concern for the payment for ecosystem services and urged the management of financial institutions to be climate change sensitive.

Dr. Omane- Boamah challenged participants to determine the true value of carbon in order to ensure equity in carbon financing and address the key issues of poverty and economic development that affect all of West Africa and the rest of the world.

Senator Liyel Imoke, Governor, Cross River State of Nigeria, stated that the conference brings a special focus to a part of Africa with unique biodiversity as well as many economic challenges and hoped the conference will generate ideas that will help tackle the forces that threaten man and his environment.