The Lands and Natural Resources Ministry has approved the arming of the Rapid Response Team under the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, said the move is purely for self-defense.
[contextly_sidebar id=”91pSMQB9tNXdPEcBDcEtONGfiIcfecRr”]Mr. Owusu Afriyie said this decision is long overdue.
“The commission will not allow the selfish interest of some individuals to put the lives of forest guards at risk,” he said.
The announcement was made at the observance of the International Day of Forests.
Mr. Owusu Afriyie, at the ceremony, said “government’s approval for the Rapid Respond unit to carry weapons is as a result of numerous attacks that they have come under.”
Giving statistics on gains made so far in the fight against illegal tree felling, he said, “54,000 thousand illegal lumberers have been arrested with a number of them facing prosecution.”
He added that his outfit is collaborating with the law courts to hand out stiffer punishments to recalcitrant chainsaw operators and illegal lumber dealers.
He said all these are measures to address the fast depleting forest reserves.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, who launched the 7th Forestry Week and Greening, called for effective enforcement of the Forestry Laws to salvage what he calls the alarming depletion of Ghana’s Forest Reserves.
Ghana’s forest reserves which used to be 8.2 million hectares has reduced to 1.6 million hectares as at 2017.
Mr. Amewu also directed the Forestry Commission to make funds available to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to embark on massive tree planting to restore the depleted forests.
–
By: Kojo Agyeman/citinewsroom.com/Ghana