The local consumption and export of bush meat generate about $300 million dollars into the Ghanaian economy every year, an official of the Forestry Commission has said.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission, Samuel Afari Dartey noted that the forestry sector was the fourth best foreign exchange earner in the country due to its high earnings from bush meat.

“Timber export alone generated 250 million euros last year. The forest reserves also attract many tourists every year,” he said.

The sector is fourth after cocoa, gold and tourism on the foreign exchange earner' chart.

Earlier during the opening of a national stakeholders' workshop on the implementation of the Non-Legally Binding Instruments (NLBI) on all types of forests in Ghana, Mr Dartey said, “But for deforestation and forest degradation, the earnings would have been higher.”

The workshop, which is jointly organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and Forestry Commission with sponsorship from the German Development Organization (GTZ), was intended to develop an action plan for the implementation of the NLBI in Ghana.

Mr. Dartey said a study in 2004 showed that Ghana lost at least $300 million every year to degradation and deforestation.

“Farming alone is responsible for 15 million cubic metres of forest land loss and mining (legal and illegal), with other illegal activities accounting for five million cubic metres of land loss every year,” he added.

He observed that farmers tend to do trial and error in the search for the right soil for the cultivation of particular crops, destroying vast forest areas in the process.

Mr Dartey emphasized the need for a Land Use Policy (LUP) in Ghana to guide farmers on the type of soil to choose for the cultivation of various crops, adding that policy would prevent the destruction of large tracts of land in the bid to locate appropriate soil.

“The LUP will research and also direct farmers to choose the right land for the cultivation of particular crops,” he added.

Henry Kamel-Ford, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, noted that Ghana was among the first countries to have adopted a systematic approach to the implementation of the 24-point NLBI, stressing that the Government would be committed to the action plan that would be developed from the workshop.

Ghana has so far scored high marks on the implementation of six out of the 24-point NLBI.

Sustainable forest management and suggestions from three regional stakeholder meetings had evolved with suggestion on how to make good the remaining 16.

The proposals for discussion include increased private sector involvement; cross-sectoral coordination; enforcement of forestry laws; training and public education; science and technology and effective financial strategies, among other things.

Source: GNA
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