Armed Illegal Loggers Intimidate Forest Guards

Government's efforts at preventing illegal logging of forests reserves are being hindered by serious intimidation of forest guards by illegal chainsaw operators, some of whom are armed to the teeth.

A visit to the Atiwa forest reserve did not only confirm the devastating rate of illegal activities in the forest but also the difficulties faced by forest guards to overpower the law breakers who take advantage of the size of the forest, the cover of darkness and their ammunition to carry out the destruction of the forest for their private gain.

Though the Atiwa forest reserve is said to be strictly under protection from logging activities due to the presence of some water sources, several illegal chain saw operators still find their way into the reserve to cut down trees.

On one of the special operations to apprehend illegal chainsaw operators cutting down trees in the forest reserve, the forest guards chased the chainsaw operators who had wind of the operation and fled, leaving behind the wood they had cut into lumber and the oil used to fuel the chainsaw.

It all started with the sound of chainsaw cutting through the silence of the forest. The suspicious sound aroused the curiosity of the forest guards who knew what was happening. They put their men together and headed towards the direction of the sound in the company of this reporter.

To ensure the illegal loggers don't finish with their act before they got there, the guards had to run very fast.

Unfortunately, the illegal operators found a crafty way of running away but failed to go along with their booty-the sawn wood. It was a wild goose chase but at least the guards managed to stop them from benefitting from their act.

After the operations, the rainforest officer of the area, Mr Isaac Gyakye, revealed that the loggers often travel deep into the bumpy areas of the forest, mainly at dawn to cut down trees. ''It is difficult to get them in the act because of the areas they operate in. Sometimes they are also armed'' he said, adding that, some of the communities around the reserve constitute a major stumbling block to the success of their work.

Mr. Gyakye explained that, the communities allegedly aid the illegal loggers in their act and serve as spies or informants who alert them of the presence of the forest guards during their nefarious operations.

The illegal loggers depend on the communities for intelligence and reward them with proceeds from their operations. That makes it difficult to track them.

He, however, added that in spite of those challenges the guards are doing their best to minimise the encroachment through a rapid response unit under which forest guards would be trained. He was hopeful that the unit would be armed to assist in their operations.

“There are times when you meet these illegal loggers deep in the forest but because they are more than you and have more sophisticated arms they intimidate you and carry on with their illegal act,” he disclosed.

Mr. Gyekye, who led the operation, stated that the work of the guards could be enhanced through training, provision of equipment and motivation.

When contacted, the Regional Forest Manager of Akim Oda, Dorothy Dampson, complained that the battle against illegal chainsaw operations in or forest would only be a thing of the past if all hands are put on deck to rectify the problem. She complained that though they hardly make arrests, the few they make are not followed through because some higher authorities intervene to cause their release.

She complained about the weakness in the punitive measures being put in place, especially the provisions of the forestry laws since perpetrators easily pay their fines when found guilty in court. ''If the penalty units were put in place in the 70s and 60s, it definitely will be something small. We have redenominated our currency so if it was thousand units then, then its ten pesewas now. We are looking forward to the law makers for the revision of the laws because there are lot of loopholes'' She said.

She wants the review to consider harsher punishment in the area of penalty units to deter them from destroying forest reserves.

Ms Dampson believes that “even if the person goes to see a judge behind us and the person is fined, because of the revision, the cost would be higher''.

Ghana's forests are depleting at an alarming rate, raising concerns over the country's ability to combat climate change.

It is estimated that the rate of deforestation currently stands at 65 thousand hectares per annum and the total forest cover, which stood at 8.2 million hectares, according to the Forestry Commission's records, representing 34% of the total land area, at the last century has decreased to 1.6 million hectares.

The writer is a Communications Officer of the Nature & Development Foundation, an NGO.

LEFT BEHIN

Logs Left Behind