Commission to embark on climate change roadshow

The Forestry Commission is to embark on a maiden REDD+ roadshow to draw Ghanaians attention to the negative effects of Climate Change and encourage behaviour change that ensures sustainable use and management of natural resources.

REDD+ stands for countries' efforts to ‘Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. It is also foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

It is an international mechanism that creates an incentive for developing countries to protect and better manage their forest resources, as one of the ways of addressing Climate Change.

The first edition of the roadshow, which is scheduled for late September to November 2014, would be held in four strategic locations: Damongo, Hohoe, Dormaa Ahenkro and Tarkwa, on the theme: “Reducing Forest Loss and Climate Change Impacts through REDD+; Our Collective Responsibility.”

The roadshow would use documentaries on effects of deforestation; durbars; school visits; community engagements; poster exhibitions; floats, among others, to sell the REDD+ message.

At a media launch of the roadshow, Mr Samuel Afari Dartey, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, said deforestation was the third leading cause of global warming while industry and energy supply was responsible for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

He said Climate Change issues were important to Ghana as most farmers depended solely on the weather conditions for their farming activities, therefore, any slight change in the weather pattern could be disastrous for productivity and pose a threat to food security.

Mr Dartey said to protect the environment from climate change, deforestation and forest degradation must be effectively dealt with it as the forests absorbed carbon dioxide and helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to their carbon storage role, forests provided many other ecosystem services like water regulation, soil protection, provision of non-timber forest products, food, biodiversity, conservation, among benefits to society, he said.

He said clearing and burning of forests for agricultural purposes released the carbon content of trees into the atmosphere while mismanagement of the forest resources reduced the ability of the forest ecosystem to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis.

Mr Dartey said a ‘REDD EYE’ campaign targeting the youth would soon be launched to prepare their minds for active participation in activities to be carried out and create the awareness for the REDD+ mechanism.

Mr Yaw Kwakye, Manager, Climate Change Unit Forestry Commission, said the roadshow communication campaign sought to draw attention to unsustainable land use practices that led to deforestation and forest degradation, and the resulting impacts.

It is also intended to secure public support for actions and measures targeted at addressing the divers of deforestation and forest degradation in the country.

The roadshow would be crowned with a National REDD+ forum in Accra.