Students from the Universities of Eastern Finland and Cape Coast visited the Forestry Commission (FC) to learn more about the organization’s role in mitigating climate change and conserving forests.
Dr. Hugh Brown, FC’s CEO, gave the welcome speech and said it was an honor to have the delegation.
He provided a succinct synopsis of the FC, outlining the Commission’s objective, the several divisions among other support units, their functions, and the number of employees. Dr. Brown concluded by wishing for a memorable exchange.
Prof. Frank Berninger of the University of Eastern Finland’s (UEF) Department of Environment and Biology then gave a brief comment.
He expressed gratitude for FC’s involvement in advancing forestry to a higher level and said it was a joy to be at the Commission with the biology students from all backgrounds.
Dr. (Mrs.) Julia Quaicoe, a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast’s (UCC) Department of Geography and Regional Planning, also made a statement in which she expressed her sincere gratitude to the Commission for helping to organize a 12-day educational tour of Ghana’s protected areas. This program was first conceived last year and was made possible by the Commission’s support and encouraging response.
She praised the staff for the in-depth lectures and useful insights that enhanced the ecology students’ learning experience and emphasized the outstanding welcoming and security offered at Mole and Kakum National Parks.
She said that the tour had shown the remarkable work of the Commission and expanded the knowledge of Ghana’s forest conservation efforts for both domestic and foreign students.
She suggested enhancing cooperation by offering internship opportunities for UCC students and incorporating the University’s youth mapping and geospatial technology group in upcoming Forestry Commission projects, highlighting the visiting group’s wide, transdisciplinary background. In closing, she thanked the Commission for the important exposure and urged ongoing collaboration.
Dr. John Appah, Manager, Projects, Plantations Department, gave a presentation on behalf of the Executive Director of the Forest Services Division (FSD) detailing the Division’s goals and accomplishments in safeguarding, developing, and managing Ghana’s forest resources.
He emphasized the FSD’s primary functions, which include coordinating forest plantation development, enforcing sustainable forest management systems, and regulating forest product harvesting, as well as key programs like natural forest operations, boundary demarcation, reserve protection, rapid-response deployments, and highway patrols.
The presentation also discussed targeted conservation initiatives in biodiversity hotspots and cultural sites, as well as extensive plantation and restoration efforts guided by the Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy (2016-2040), which included enrichment planting, Trees on Farms, and flagship projects like the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative.
Dr. Appah provided an overview of Ghana’s forest estate, which includes 288 reserves covering 25,704 km² across savannah, transition, and high forest zones. These reserves are classified as production, plantation conversion, and research, with 30 designated as Globally Significant Biological Areas (GSBA).
The Forestry Commission’s Climate Change Unit’s Monitoring, Budgeting, and Evaluation Manager, Mr. Charles Sarpong Duah, described the Unit’s goal and placed Ghana’s forest-based climate initiatives in the context of the worldwide endeavor to combat climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
He cited the Paris Agreement’s objective of using carbon markets, nationally determined contributions, and forest conservation to keep the rise in global temperatures well below 2°C.
Citing the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he pointed out that in 2019, the energy and industrial sectors accounted for about 78% of global emissions, while land use, forestry, and agriculture accounted for 22%. Forests can provide up to 30% of the mitigation required worldwide.
In light of this, he emphasized Ghana’s premier REDD+ programs, including the FC/Tullow REDD+ Project, the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reduction Program (GSLERP), and the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Program (GCFRP).
While addressing issues like unlawful mining and bushfires, the presentation also described accountability methods like monitoring, reporting, and verification as well as grievance resolution mechanisms.
The Wildlife Division’s (WD) Director of Stakeholders and Ecotuorism, Mr. Christian Atsu Fumey-Nassah, wrapped up the day’s presentations by outlining the Division’s responsibilities.
The lecture described the WD’s primary responsibilities, which include overseeing and controlling the country’s wildlife resources and protected areas, assisting the business sector in putting policies into practice, and encouraging public conservation education and awareness.
Additionally, the Division is crucial in promoting ecotourism and supporting research to improve sustainability and wildlife management.
He also mentioned some of the Division’s difficulties, such as infrastructure limitations and poaching.
Mr. Fumey-Nassah outlined the Wildlife Division’s strategy for conserving off-reserve resources, highlighting the creation of Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs), which enable fringe communities to safeguard biodiversity outside of protected areas, split profits and benefits, and look for alternate sources of income.
During an interactive session, the students asked questions about their experiences in their many fields of study and their educational trip to Ghana, as well as to enhance the knowledge they had learned from the presentations.
In his final remarks, Dr. Brown expressed gratitude to the group for an outstanding engagement in knowledge exchange and expressed his desire to strengthen the relationship going forward.
Source: newsthemegh.com