Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Dr H. Kwame Afaglo
©2010
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Ghana is an endowed bio-diverse country with the flora demarcation of High forest zone (HFZ) and Savannah zone (SZ). Human interaction with the flora ecology is steadily changing the landscape, varieties, size and number of both flora and faunal species.
Active agricultural practices in the savannah zone has significantly changed the flora composition of Ghana. Also, both
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana legal and illegal lumbering of the HFZ is reducing the size of the zone, type, number, longevity and shape of tree species.
Of the 23.85 million ha that is the size of Ghana, 567 km is coastal area, then the 66 per cent is made of Savannah zone and the remaining 34 per cent being HFZ. (Odoom, 2005)
Generally, the northern belt forms the SZ, whiles the middle belt the HFZ ad southern the coastal.
Partial Vegetation Map of Ghana.Figure 1 : Partial Vegetation Map of Ghana.Figure 1
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Agricultural activities occur mostly in the
savannah zone of Ghana. Inasmuch as, agriculture is inevitable for the existence of both humans and fauna, land use for this purpose must not be seen to encroach on reserves.
Besides land use for agriculture, the high demand for housing in Ghana, is leading to encroachment on the SZ. A detailed look of the housing and agricultural land use on the SZ of Ghana is worth exploring by policy
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana makers. Because, the SZ is closer to the creeping desertification from North Africa, human activities in this zone is important.
Converse to agricultural and housing land use in SZ of Ghana as legitimate, there is notable abuse of the HFZ.
Abusive activities of the HFZ is also been outlawed by legislature, of which include:
burning of wood for commercial purpose known as charcoal production,
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana encroachment into forest reserves for farming and hunting of game,
falling of trees without permit or illegal logging,
chainsaw use and trading of its products.
All these illegal flora activities are depleting the rich bio-diverse HFZ of Ghana, and its ramifications are socio-economic.
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Though falling of tress especially shrubs for charcoal is illegal, the activity is high, and this accounts for the shortage of wood in the SZ for all purposes. Charcoal is used for domestic and commercial cooking, because it is relative cheaper and readily available than liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Falling of trees for charcoal serves as a profession for a sizeable number of rural dwelling women, hence, enforcing the law is difficult.
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Ghanaian policy makers and Transnational corporations (TNCs) must ensure country wide non-disruption of distribution of LPG in every home and building. This will drastically, reduce and with time eliminate the falling of trees for charcoal.
Further, the creation of an alternative profession will replace charcoal making, else, the illegal practice of falling trees for charcoal will persist and worse of all go underground to avoid law enforcement.
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Secondly, tariff on charcoal be pegged at a deterring rate, that discourages both its export and import. These measures are to enrich the floral composition of the state and slow down the threat of desertification.
Revenue from timber increased from the 1983, and combined with high international demand for varying sizes and type of lumber has encouraged logging.
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana By 1991, the Government of Ghana did legalise the use of chainsaw for lumbering provided the lumber producers are registered, regulated by the district or local authorities and Forestry Commission (FC). This, in combination with global increase in demand for timber and wood products, the inability of enforcing unregistered chainsaw users and the indiscriminate falling of trees for lumber, has enticed illegal use of chainsaw.
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Falling trees for timber occur primarily in the HFZ of Ghana and even in the more than two hundred and fifty (250) forest reserves. Commercial logging activities are prevalent in these sections and a significant number of loggers use chainsaw. It is the indiscriminate falling of trees without replacing it by growing another is the regressive ecological make up that concerns conservationist.
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana Illegal chainsaw use for lumber, both destroy the forest bed and farm crops in the process of falling and dragging of lumber to the road side for transportation.
Here the main set back is FC, district and local authorities inability to enforce the conservation policies.
Another human activity is the encroachm-
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana ent of the many forest reserves for farming of cash crops.
Farming, hunting of game and logging in the HFZ are activities that are reducing the bio-diverse nature of Ghanaian ecosystem.
Although, Ghana generates significant
returns from timber export in its trade in goods, vis-à-vis the high global demand for lumber, it is ecologically prudent that she
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana reduces its dependent on timber exports as a way of preparing against the looming threat of desertification, sustain lives and enrich the quality of livelihood for the future.
Instead of depleting the highly endowed bio-diverse nature of the Ghanaian HFZ for returns from exports, it could be conserved
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana and serve as source of revenue from plant medicine, flora and fauna tourism. The propensity of the later option to generate higher revenue than the former is high.
Thank you
Lumbering in Ghana : Lumbering in Ghana References
Hawkins, D. (2009) Habitats and Foodchains USA, Teaching and Learning resource
Odonkor, S. et al (2007) The Wildlife Trade in Ghana: A Threat to Biodiversity Conservation Ghana, University of Ghana Press
Odoom, F. (2005) Chainsawing in the Natural Forests of Ghana. An Assessment of the Socio-economic Impacts of this Practice Rome, FAO and UN