An Environmental Scientist, Prof. Chris Gordon, wants the government to do more to protect Ghana’s vegetative cover.
He said encroachment of forest covers poses a threat to the environment and Ghanaians in general, given its adverse effects of air pollution.
“By 2050, we are going to be spending an extra 4 billion on transport infrastructure as a result of environmental degradation and all of this is linked to the extent of forest which is acting as a buffer, forests which are helping infiltration of water.
“Air pollution, which is mainly a result of using biomass is going to cost about 2 billion and lead to 16,000 preventable deaths, and we are not doing enough about it. I question whether we are really serious. We know that agriculture is being impacted, the unpredictability of rain, farmers plant after the first rain, and there is no rain for two weeks… These things have been proven by hard scientific evidence,” he lamented.
His concerns come in the wake of the circulation of a document alleging that the late former Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly called Sir John, included portions of the Achimota forest lands in his will.
Sir John disclosed in the will that he also owned land at the Ramsar area in Sakumono in Accra. The revelations in his will come at a time the government is giving portions of the Achimota Forest land supposedly to its original owners.
Sharing his thoughts on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Gordon said “owning a land on a Ramsar site is not against the principles of operating same.”
“It is possible for you to have infrastructure within a Ramsar site so long as it does not impact the ecological integrity of the site,” Mr. Gordon explained.
He was however worried about the implications of encroachment on Ramsar sites.
“I visited the site some months ago, and I almost wept because I know what we went through to establish that place as a green area. You can go to Weija, there is a place called Tetegu, now even in the rain you find four bamboo poles in the water. That land has been demarcated for sale, so it goes back to us. We are our own worst enemies. I do not know what drives people to go to these lands which are clearly unsuitable for habitation.”
Amidst the public outrage about Sir John’s supposed will, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources says it has requested all documents related to the land in question as part of an inquiry to ascertain the veracity of the claims.
