Tamale, Aug 17, GNA - The Northern Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. Abu Iddrisu, has called on the public, particularly the District Assemblies and the decentralized organizations, to demonstrate much commitment to issues affecting the environment to promote sustainable land use.

He said reports from some districts in the region showed that most of them were not committed to projects aimed at protecting the environment.

Mr. Iddrisu was addressing a meeting of the Regional Environmental Management Committee in Tamale on Monday.

The committee is part of a working group of the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP), a policy by the government of Ghana and funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Mr. Iddrisu said there had been general awareness among the public about desertification and drought adding that the sensitization would continue for the achievement of the objectives of the project.

He said 30 school clubs had been formed to help protect the environment and existing once reactivated to propagate the thematic areas of the GEMP project.

He said under the project, 50,000 trees would be planted by communities based on the choice of trees by the beneficiary communities.

Mr. Ebenezer Djaney Djagbletey, Regional Forestry Manager, said the Forestry Commission was doing similar projects and expressed concern that the Tamale Metropolis was not adhering to good environmental practices.

Mr. Joseph Dzasa, the Northern Regional Coordinating Director, said good environmental management practices would serve the best interest of the entire country and efforts to redeem it must be commended.

He expressed worry about the negative activities of the Fulani herdsmen and called on the government to review the ECOWAS protocol to enable the country address their activities.