More than 800 forest guards of the Forestry Commission have undergone military training to acquire skills to tackle increasing cases of poaching, illegal mining and illegal chains saw operations in the country’s forest reserves.

The three-week exercise which was conducted at the Asutuare Military Training School in the Greater Accra Region is meant to help reduce deaths and injuries among forestry guards.

Citing a recent incident of a guard who was shot and injured at the Kakum National Park in the Central Region last Thursday, the Deputy Chief Executive of the Commission, Mr John Allotey, said such acts happened because the officers did not have the requisite skills to defend themselves.

“Henceforth, all these unfortunate events will become a thing of the past. No longer will any staff lose their life because they were protecting the nation’s natural resources which are of high benefit to the present and future generation,” he said at the graduation of the fourth batch of 149 trainees.

The guards, who are from the Wildlife Division of the commission, were taken through training in drills, weapon handling, voice procedures living in the jungle, health in the jungle, obstacle crossing, unarmed combat, rules of weapon engagement, first aid lessons and jungle survival activities.

Danger

Mr Allotey said the daily activities of the frontline staff of the commission exposed them to people involved in practices such as illegal harvesting of wood, mining and poaching who were often militant and also carried weapons which they used in attacking staff of the commission.

“Those involved in those illegal activities are becoming more aggressive and are equipped with sophisticated weapons. We need to train our people on weapon handling to boost their morale and improve upon their physical state and capacity to deal with these challenges,” he added.

Mr Allotey also said the people had become so daring that, they warned the commission’s staff at the Mole Park in the Savannah Region that they would attack the park and cut down trees and poach animals.

“We have to be prepared. We sent the military there to conduct a recce for us to be abreast of the development and they confirmed that the situation was serious and that it must be dealt with,” he stated.

Mr Allotey further mentioned other areas under threat from poachers and illegal timber harvesters to include the Prameso Forest Reserve in the Bono Region and the Bonsam Bepo Forest Reserve in the Ahafo Region.

“These are critical areas that have come under attack and we have to protect them,” he said.

On illegal felling of Rosewood, Mr Allotey said protecting the tree species had become an important task for its officials, particularly those in the five regions of the north.

Appreciation

He expressed appreciation to the Ghana Armed Forces for its commitment to support the commission carry out its duties, and the trainees for enduring the military training exercise.

Mr Allotey advised them against using the new skills they had acquired to bully innocent people and warned that any official of the commission who held him or herself up as a soldier would be dealt with.

Advice

The Commander Rear of the Asutuare Military Training School, Major Frank Agyeman, and the Chairman of the Board of the Forestry Commission, Brigadier-General Joseph Odei (retd), urged the trainees to hold high the military standards and discipline instilled in them

Source: www.graphic.com.gh

 

Past Projects

Kasa's efforts in restoring mangrove forests to mitigate coastal erosion

The Keta lagoon tragedy is still edged in the minds of residents who helplessly watched as the sea claimed their loved ones lives, their property and even robbed their gravesites. Now, all that’s left of a once thriving community is stumps of houses and sunken hopes evident by their scowled faces. This phenomenon is unfortunately becoming common along Ghana coastlines as the sea levels rise and take claim to lives, land and property.

One of the evidence of climate change is rising temperatures which impact the sea and oceans in various ways. One is melting polar ice which leads to expansion of oceans which in turn encroach on lands such as Keta. Secondly, the high temperatures which are stored in the water exacerbates water acidity which then degrades coral reefs and even mangroves; which act as sea defense. Cases such as Keta’s can be observed world over, in coastal areas.

The Government of Ghana has responded to this recurring disaster with measures to keep the sea at bay and relocation propositions for community members. Along  Ghana’s volta region and other coastal regions, one can observe sea defense systems protecting coastlines from strong tidal waves that cause erosion, flooding, amongst other hazards. These engineered structures are fortified to ensure durability and restoration of normally for coastal communities. However, as with most man made structures, there is a lifespan to such structures.  That is why organisations such as Kasa Initiative Ghana advocate for Nature based solutions such as planting of Mangroves.

Mangroves forests not only act as sea defense but perform as carbon sinks better than terrestrial forests. Additionally, their roots create an ecosystem for marine life to start and thrive. Marine creatures such as turtles and fish rely on this ecosystem for survival in initial life stages before venturing into the deep sea. Kasa with support from IUCN and Forestry commission sought  to restore mangrove in South Tongu District of the Volta Region. The exercise, done in collaboration with youth, women and men from the communities not only identified locations for restoration but also provided seedlings and carried out the planting. The initiative also engaged community members on the importance of mangrove forest in the environment and what it takes to ensure the forests reach maturity. 

 

In previous years, communities along the coastline in the Volta region were well barricaded from tidal waves by thinning mangrove forests. However, due to livelihood activities such as mangrove harvesting, the forests are now shrinking and far apart. Smoking of fish and other seafood is common in these areas with mangrove being the preferred source of firewood. Due to this, introduction of alternative livelihood is a key component to restoration efforts to avoid a recurrence of the current where firewood heaps are aligned along the coastline and in markets. 

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