EcoCare Ghana, Civic Response train community monitors to combat illegal forest activities

EcoCare Ghana and Civic Response have launched an initiative to train community members to support efforts aimed at combating illegal logging and strengthening accountability in Ghana's forestry sector.

The programme, being implemented under the Holding Power Accountable in Forest Governance through Citizen Action (Akofena Project), seeks to equip 500 Community Forest Monitors with the knowledge and tools needed to independently monitor activities in and around forest reserves.

The initiative comes amid increasing concerns over illegal logging, weak enforcement, limited community participation in forest governance and inadequate oversight of timber harvesting operations in some parts of the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of a training programme in Accra on Thursday, June 11, Project Manager of the Akofena Project at EcoCare Ghana, Enock Danso Otchere, said the project aims to empower residents of forest fringe communities to play a more active role in protecting Ghana's forests.

"We are bringing farmers across various districts who fringe forests to enlighten them, to empower them on their rights and responsibilities, and their role as monitors in ensuring the sustainable management of the forest reserves," he said.

The project is funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (FGMC) Programme.

According to Mr. Otchere, beyond the 500 trainees, the project will recruit thousands more through a training-of-trainers approach to amplify the efforts.

Participants are being educated on forest laws, their rights and responsibilities, Social Responsibility Agreements (SRAs), compensation arrangements and procedures governing timber harvesting operations.

They are also being trained to identify illegal activities within forest reserves and use digital monitoring tools installed on their smartphones to collect and submit evidence-based reports.

Mr. Otchere noted that many illegal activities often go unaddressed because reports from communities are not supported by credible evidence.

Under the project, reports submitted by community monitors will be verified by EcoCare Ghana before being forwarded to the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission for action where necessary.

"Our aim is to train community monitors to send us credible and evidence-based alerts, for which we use these alerts to engage the Forest Services Division for corrective actions," he stated.

The consortium believes that empowering communities to independently monitor forest activities will complement existing government efforts and strengthen accountability in the sector.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts under the Akofena Project in Ghana and Liberia to promote citizen participation, transparency, legal timber trade and stronger collaboration among stakeholders in forest governance.