Forest reclamation kicks off
Over 118 hectares of forest reserves that have been degraded by illegal mining activities in some parts of the country are being reclaimed.
Advertisement
The reclamation exercise is ongoing at seven sites in three forest reserves in the Ashanti and Western North regions under the $103-million World Bank-funded Ghana Forest Investment Programme (GFIP).
Two of the sites are found in the Afao Hills Forest Reserve in the Bibiani Forest District in the Western North Region, while three are located in Denyau and two in the Supoma forest reserve, all in the Bekwai Forest District in the Ashanti Region.
The GFIP is targeted at restoring lands that have been degraded by illegal mining activities, especially in forest reserves.
The overall objective is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, enhance carbon stocks, reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity.
During a one-week visit by the Daily Graphic to observe the exercise in the forest reserves, it was noted that the reclamation activities were progressing steadily at the seven sites.
The paper observed that large tracts of land in the forest reserves had been reduced to bare land, with many gaping pits.
The pits still had significant stagnant water in them, in spite of the long spell of dry weather (harmattan), while the streams that run through some of the forest reserves had been heavily polluted.
However, some sections of the degraded forest reserves were being reclaimed.
Hundreds of pits had been levelled while others were being filled up.
Supoma
At the Bekwai Forest District, four contractors who had been awarded contracts to reclaim the degraded landscapes in five sites at the Supoma and Denyau forest reserves were busy at work, with each of them completing more than 60 per cent of the work.
At the Supoma Forest Reserve, the project supervisor for Fineness Elevation Company Ltd, Prince Afram Sarpong, told the Daily Graphic that the company started the reclamation of 22.8 hectares of land at two sites in May last year.
He said the company had finished all earthworks at both sites and had begun the second phase which involved Afforestation.
“Now, we are doing pegging, digging and planting tree seedlings; and looking at what is left to be done, we will finish everything by next month,” Mr Sarpong said.
A Chief Ranger at the Bekwai Forest District, Henry Kofi Yeboah, was seen providing technical assistance to a dozen of labourers hired from the local communities at the site.
“We are guiding them on the appropriate way of planting, with regard to distancing and the type of species to plant,” he said.
They were planting tree species such as Mahogany, Ofram and Cedrela as recommended by a soil test report, while bamboo had also been planted in swampy areas.
Denyau
When the Daily Graphic team got to the Denyau Forest Reserve last Friday, there were three contractors working on an average of 23 hectares of degraded land each.
Lot three was being reclaimed by Bumecon Investment Ltd, with Christian Aniewu as the site supervisor.
He explained that the company started work on the 24-hectare degraded land in March last year and was expected to finish in April, this year.
Advertisement
At the time of the visit, earthworks had been completed on 23 out of the 24-hectare degraded land.
“When we are done with the earthworks, we will do pegging by next week and do planting.
I am currently working with 12 people but we will bring 20 more people to help with planting,” Mr Aniewu said.
At Lot one, 10 workers of Ramatu Shahadu Ltd were working on 22 hectares of degraded land with earthworks done on 21 hectares.
Advertisement
The Managing Director of the company, Haruna Abdul-Razak, stated that work started in March last year but had to be stopped in September until it resumed in December because of the heavy rains.
Afao Hills
In the Bibiani Forest District, Trade Wins Investment Ltd, the company contracted to reclaim degraded sections of the Afao Hills Forest Reserve was working on two sites, totalling 20.2 hectares.
The site supervisor, Godfred Ankamah, said although the work started in August last year, the company had completed earthworks and started planting.
“Soil specialists recommended that Ofram, Cedrela and Mahogany should be planted on the reclaimed lands while bamboo is planted in waterlogged areas, so we are following that instruction,” he said.
Advertisement
Mr Ankamah said all its 43 labourers were recruited from communities in the area, saying “These people were formerly engaged in galamsey but they stopped and are now involved in reclamation.”
Challenges
While interacting with the contractors at the various sites, it came to light that the main challenge was that in the rainy season when many of the areas got flooded, it was dangerous for anyone to move to site as the pits were covered with water.
They explained that at a point, they could not even have access to the site because the paths were flooded.
Some of them also said illegal miners tried to frustrate their work from the initial stages, but the chiefs helped to stop them from attacking the workers on site.
Satisfaction
The consultant for the reclamation project, Biserkoms Ltd, expressed satisfaction with the extent of work done by the contractors so far.
An environmental and social safeguard expert at the company, Abel Nsiah, said the contractors had been cooperative and the works were moving on well.
“They comply with site instructions we give them and the work is progressing steadily.
Their works are within schedule,” he said.
The contractors were complying with a directive to source seedlings only from certified Forestry Commission outgrowers, he added.
Background
A State of the Nation’s Forest report presented by the Forestry Commission on May 2, last year revealed 421.11 hectares of the forest reserve had been wiped off by illegal miners.
The reserves include the 3,500-hectare Apamprama forest, where 1,729.32 hectares (49.4 per cent) have been affected, and the 2,300-hectare Subin Shelterbelt reserve whose 87.21 hectares have been reduced to gullies by illegal miners.
The report further states that 392,714.81 hectares of the country’s 288 forest reserves had been significantly “impacted” by illegal mining activities, out of which 4,726.26 hectares in 34 of the reserves had been confirmed as destroyed.
Some of these forest reserves are Offin Shelterbelt and Asenanyo in the Nkawie Forest District in the Ashanti Region; Nueng South and Bonsa River forest reserves in the Tarkwa Forest District in the Western Region; Atewa Range Extension and Atewa Range in the Kade and Kyebi forest districts in the Eastern Region.