INEC pledges to intensify forest restoration programmes

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Kumasi-Ghana, March 22, GNA – The Institute of Nature and Environmental Conservation (INEC), an NGO responsible for protecting critically vulnerable species and ecosystems has re-echoed its resolve to promote forest conservation.
Mr David Amaning Kwarteng, Director of INEC, said the organization recognized the important role forests played in human lives and the unique relationship between healthy forest and human health.
It was for this reason, that INEC Ghana, had been actively involved in promoting forest conservation and management in Ghana, working in collaboration with government agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders.
Mr Kwarteng was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the World Forest Day in Kumasi.
According to him, INEC was collaborating with Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-FORIG) to implement large-scale restoration programmes using threatened native species in the Afram Headwaters Forest Reserve and Asenayo Forest Reserve.
The species included Mansonia, Mahogany, Ofram, Prekese, Pericopsis elata (krokodua), Emire, Wawa, Rosewood, and Talboteilla.
These restoration programmes formed part of the Africa Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100).
This initiative aims to restore 100 million of degraded forest across Africa by 2030.
The project is being supported by Fondation Franklinia and AFR 100 Initiative.
Mr Kwarteng told the GNA that, already the organization had nursed about 300, 000 seedlings of varied tree species.
It engaged women and youth at the nurseries to provide source of income and enhanced living conditions.
INEC targets to plant 250, 000 trees this year.
Mr Kwarteng noted that, Ghana had already lost two-thirds of its forest cover due to deforestation, fire outbreaks, climate change and other human activities.
He called on Ghanaians to take actions towards forest conservation, adding that, healthy forests ensured healthy human populations.
The World Forest Day is an important event celebrated every year to raise awareness of the vital role that forests play in the lives of mankind.
The 2023 theme for the celebration is “Forests and Health,” which focuses on the link between forests and human health.
Forests are critical to human existence as they provide essential resources such as timber, food, clean water, and oxygen.
Forests play a significant role in maintaining ecological balance, mitigating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus regulating the climate, and providing essential resources such as timber, food, and medicine.
They also contribute to the promotion of public health by improving air quality, regulating water cycles, and reducing the impact of climate change.
Forests are a vital source of traditional medicine, and many communities in Ghana rely on forest products for their healthcare needs.