Forestry senior staff calls for promotion of sustainable forest management

The Forestry Senior Staff Association (FOSSA), has held its annual general meeting at Akyawkrom in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality calling on all stakeholders in the sector to work together to promote sustainable management of the nation’s forest and its resources.

It said it was important for the various interest groups to give every needed support to the Forestry Commission to enable it to efficiently carry out its constitutional mandate.

Mr. Alex Asare, the acting President, also encouraged his colleagues to do more to help the people to have better understanding of the forest policies and the present state of the country’s forest.

The fast depletion of the forest cover and its dire consequences must be forcefully brought home to the people.

He said that could assist influence a change in attitude towards the forest and reduce the recklessness.

The one-day meeting was held under the theme: “Enhancing the Contribution of Senior Staff towards an Effective Forestry Commission”.

It provided the platform for the members to critically evaluate their performance and explore ways to enhance their role in the management of the forest.

Mr. Asare noted with concern the extinction of some plant and animal species due to illegal logging, mining and wildfires and said the trend could not be allowed to continue.

He said the extreme weather conditions Ghana had been experiencing in recent times, due to climatic changes, should be a wake-up call to all.

He, therefore, called on the relevant bodies and law-enforcement agencies to rigidly enforce the laws on the forest to conserve the ecology and biodiversity.

Mr. Samuel Afari-Dartey, the Chief Executive of the Commission, in a speech read for him, asked the Association to use the meeting to discuss ways of enhancing the forest governance.