MINING TAKES A HEAVIER TOLL ON BIODIVERSITY IN GHANA

GHANA AS a developing country would need to exploit its mineral wealth to meet its commitments for national development, however, over the years this has not been done in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Available statistics show that at independence in 1957, Ghana had a forest estate of about 8.3 million hectares of which only 1.2 million is left today. Ten to twelve thousand people depend on forest reserves directly for their food and livelihood. Rivers and streams in the reserves feed into major rivers that supply water to many villages, towns and cities.

With the use of toxic chemicals by some mining companies, the water bodies that provide drinking water for millions of people are being destroyed. The forest reserves are also considered globally significant for their biological diversity; they contain over 700 types of tropical trees and many endangered species including 34 plants, 13 mammals, 23 butterflies and 8 birds.

Inadequate precautions to guard against the effect of mining such as deforestation, land devastation and the release of toxic materials into water bodies and the environment are leading to the extinction of some species of animals and plants.

Every mining activity involves scooping up tonnes of earth in order to get to the ore. In the process, the land loses its biodiversity. Plant life is destroyed, streams are destroyed or polluted with dangerous chemicals, and animals have to flee to areas where they feel safer. This has the unfortunate consequence of affecting the incomes of those whose only livelihood is from the soil.

With gold prices rising to unprecedented levels, it is becoming increasingly clear that our biodiversity is threatened.

Already, intense interest has been shown in the mining industry through the injection of massive amounts of capital. In order to reap abnormal profits from this windfall, the mining companies are doubling up the rate of extraction, ignoring environmental safeguards in the process. Infact, the country's forest reserves have of late been threatened with mining.

A study carried out by this reporter indicates that some animal and plant species, which used to be common before mining in the mining areas under study, are very rare today. Among some of the mining areas toured were Obuasi, Tarkwa, Dumasi, Himan, Prestea and Kenyasi.

"Biodiversity is being threatened everywhere, even in our landscape development but what we are concerned about is the impact that such activity would have on the biodiversity", confirms a Biodiversity Expert, Prof Alfred Oteng Yeboah, explaining that "mining as an extractive activity destroys, therefore when mining is taking place in areas, which are containing very important natural Ghanaian biological resources, that activity limits the extension of those particular biological resources."

Biodiversity is simply the biological (diversity) resources or living things such as animals; plants, micro-organisms etc close to the environment within which we live.

Prof Yeboah, as a Scientist who has "the interest and welfare of biodiversity at heart because of their enormous benefits human beings derive from biodiversity that guarantee their survival", would prefer the continue existence of biodiversity to mining in areas that inhabit the country's rich biodiversity.

"I will wish that government pays more attention to science and information from scientists to help it take a decision on extractive activities that have the potency of destroying significant biodiversity sites", the former Deputy Director-General of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research suggested.

We derive all the food sources like carbohydrate, protein, and vitamins from biodiversity. To ensure of food security, biodiversity must be conserved and they must be used on sustainable basis. We must ensure that there is equity, equitable share of benefits that come out of the yields of biological resources.

Biodiversity is important for sustainable economic, social and environmental development, because it provides economic power since it could be turned into cash, thus it can generate money. In most communities in Ghana today, the livelihoods of the people revolve around the biodiversity of the area.. For instance, in the forest belt of Ghana, it is uncommon to find most of the men in the communities being hunters. These hunters survive on the availability of game like grasscutters, antelopes, rabbits, snails, etc. It is out of this activity that they are able to earn income to take care of their needs like paying school fees, utility bills and others. The indigenes also get medicinal herbs from the forest reserves.

A 50-year-old Philip Amoakohene of Dokyikrom near Kenyasi explained, " when mining came here things have changed; the games are migrating to far distance areas because I spend more hours than before and sometimes go home empty handed."

For those communities that lie close to water bodies, they derive the extra benefit of getting fish, a vital source of protein for themselves. Communities with such water bodies also enjoy recreational benefits from the streams.

Biodiversity promotes social cohesion. For example, when people of Winneba are celebrating their 'Aboakyir' festival, they hunt for a deer. When they catch the deer the people are happy. The hunt for the deer with its historical significance forms basis for the celebration of the festival, which brings about family reunion, reconciliation and serves as a platform for drawing development agenda of the town.

"We used to see monkeys, grasscutters and rats, in the afternoons just about one kilometre away from Tarkwa when we are going to farm but hardly do we see them these days", said a native of Tarkwa, Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng.

Though there has not been any in-depth research into the disappearance of these animal species, the observation was that the monkeys and other animals might have either left the area due to the excessive noise of heavy machinery of the mining companies or the pollution of the soil and water bodies as a result of frequent spillages of toxic chemicals. She added that trees like Odum, Sapale, Wawa and Mahogany are also rare today.

There is the need to protect the country's biodiversity from extinction as the threat from mining looms in our faces.

Traditional rulers should join hands with Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin in protecting the country's rich biodiversity sites such as the Atiwa forest.

MILLION TREES AFRICA PROJECT TAKES OFF IN SEPTEMBER

A four-decade sub-regional initiative to help increase forest cover, improve quality of forest cover and improve crucial ecosystem services provided by forests, such as hydrological services as well as combating Climate Change in Africa will be launched in Ghana in September this year. The project dubbed “Million Tree Africa Project” (M-TAP) is an initiative of Global Media Foundation, human rights media advocacy organization based in Ghana.  The Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jnr. who made this known at a Youth Forum in Sunyani to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day said the project is aimed at increasing forest-based incomes for millions of households across Africa by 2050.   

The project, which the CEO of GLOMEF, Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jnr. noted is expected to cost over millions of dollars, will witness the plating of about one million trees across Africa by the Foundation.  According to him, under the project communities, youth groups, students and religious bodies across Africa will be mobilized, empowered and encouraged to plant trees. He said currently as part of its pilot project, the foundation is negotiating with nananom to acquire about 55 hectares of land in Brong-Ahafo to kick start the project in September. Mr. Ahenu Jnr. called for policies that would conserve and improve the quality of our forests, while generating employment and socio-economic returns for local communities. The CEO of GLOMEF further called for an integrated approach to prioritize conservation and sustainable management of forests, to enable forests to play a critical role in greening the economy of African countries. He stressed the need for accelerated investments for protecting forest resources in Africa. Research he said has identified forestry as one of the ten central sectors capable of propelling a transition to a low carbon, resource efficient, employment-generating future if backed by investment and forward-looking policies, Touching on how to fund the programme, Mr. Ahenu Jnr said the foundation will embark on fundraising tour across the globe to raise funds and is also positioning to partner 14 international organizations and secretariats with substantial programmes on forests which include, FAO, ITTO, IUFRO, GEF, UNCCD, UNFF, UNFCCC, UNDP. In a related Development, the Brong-Ahafo Network of NGOs (BANGO) has accused Officials of the Forestry Commission for cohering with illegal chainsaw operators to destroy the country’s forest cover. In a statement to mark this year’s World Environment Day, BANGO called on government to take stringent measures to help reduce deforestation in the country.  The Acting Chairman of BANGO, Peter Subaab called for stiffer punishment of offenders to serve as deterrent to others.  He also urged Environmental NGOs and CBOs to intensify their work in the sector in order to reduce environmental degradation.

BUSHFIRES THREATEN DEV'T OF NORTHERN GHANA

Bushfires occur widely in the northern Ghana and are very pervasive and extensive in nature. It affects the composition and density if vegetation, frustrates our efforts at sustainable development, and threatens our future survival, by contributing immensely to desertification and general environmental degradation.

The diverse and interactive nature of causes of bushfires calls for a concerted approach in curbing the menace, to reduce the toll on the developmental agenda. It is undoubtedly impossible to find a single panacea, when it comes to the provision of solutions to the bushfire menace, due to the varied nature of its driving forces.

To this effect, it is most welcoming that the government and its agencies continue to express their commitment to partner and support initiatives of any individual or entity to combat the menace of bushfires.

Issues bordering on the environment must thus of paramount importance to the regions of constituting northern Ghana since majority of the people in this part of the country  depended on the environment, through agriculture, animal rearing fishing among others, for their sustenance and survival.

At a workshop held recently in Wa for traditional authorities on the bushfire menace in Northern Ghana, stakeholders including the Ministry of Science, Environment and Technology, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ghana Fire Service demonstrated their preparedness to work together with other stakeholders such as chiefs, pupils, women and youth groups in the three northern regions to address this environmental plight. However, the emphasis was on the chiefs as key stakeholders in the combat against bushfires.

“Why burn the bush for rats, rabbits, and grasscutters, if we can rear them and other animals all year long? Is bush burning an option for a region which is already poverty stricken? Must we be reminded that bush burning has a direct bearing on climate change, where recently we experienced severe harmattan in the mornings and unbearable heat in the evenings? These were some critical questions raised by the Deputy Minister.

The Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. Kale Caesar believes ploughing firebreaks around farms likewise other major agricultural investments is very important but maintains that key stakeholders like chiefs, religious leaders and assembly members, can liaise to ensure the collective responsibility of prescribing deterring punishments in the quest to make bush burning a history in the country.

The non-burning concept initiated by the Nandom Paramountcy under the able leadership of the Na Dr. Puore Puobe Chiir VII has been acclaimed as a model for replication, as far as combating bushfires in the north is concerned. Though Goziiri is a farming community,   since the mid-80s, non-burning concept was introduced and has been sustained and extended to over fifteen communities in the region by EPA. The stakeholders pledged to sustain and extend the initiative to other communities in the region and northern Ghana at large.

Ghana and Canadian Governments through their respective agencies, the EPA and CIDA are implementing a CIDA five-year Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP) in the Upper West Region, which is located in a fragile ecological belt of Ghana.

The goal of the project is to strengthen Ghanaian institutions and the rural communities to enable them reverse land degradation trends in the three northern regions of Ghana, to enable them adopt sustainable land management practices to improve food security and reduce poverty.

However, the successful implementation of the GEMP would greatly depend on how successful bushfires would be contained in the region. 

First phase of the programme has been successfully completed, Mr. Asher Nkegbe, the Acting Upper West EPA Director told the participants. Some of the activities of the first phase of the project include formation of forty-two women’s groups to ensure that gender was mainstreamed into the programme, radio programmes, and the conducting of socio-economic baseline studies for all the thirty pilot communities to establish benchmark conditions, to facilitate monitoring of change in land resources.