Ghanaian foresters call for more staff to protect forests
The Ghana Institute of Foresters has called on the authorities to recruit additional staff for the country’s Forestry Commission. The organization said that staff shortages are placing excessive pressure on current employees and putting them at risk, MyJoyOnline reports.
Reports of attacks
The call comes amid reports of attacks, injuries, intimidation, armed clashes and damage to Forestry Commission property. According to the Institute, these incidents involved workers protecting Ghana’s forest reserves, protected wildlife areas and the commission’s district offices.
A statement signed by the Institute’s president, Dr. Abukari Nantogma Attah, said that the country cannot continue mourning forestry workers without taking sufficient measures to address the conditions that put them at risk.
Appeal to the authorities
The Institute appealed to President John Dramani Mahama, through the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, to provide the necessary financial clearance to recruit additional staff for the Forestry Commission.
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GIF stressed that without sufficient personnel, the commission will not be able to effectively protect, manage, regulate and develop the country’s forests, wildlife and other renewable natural resources. The organization believes that the staff shortage also weakens the commission’s ability to maintain an effective presence in forest reserves.
The Institute called the recruitment of qualified personnel an investment in national security, environmental protection, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation. It also linked the need for additional staff to protecting sustainable livelihoods and state assets.
The organization urged the authorities to move from condemning attacks to strengthening accountability, properly equipping and protecting workers who safeguard Ghana’s forests and wildlife.
