An Environment-based Non-Governmental Organization called “Friends of the Earth”, Ghana has passed a bill to the government on wildlife resources management, that has been previously submitted to parliament in 2014 during the tenure of the past National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
Following the statement of the Executive Director of the NGO, Mr. Theo Anderson, who was recently addressing a section of the press, the content of the bill addresses challenges faced with the wildlife administration in Ghana as well as protecting wildlife zones all around the country and therefore it needs to be passed as a matter of urgency.
According to Mr. Theo, the previous bill which was submitted to the former government administration it was not passed, therefore the NGO anticipated the re-submission of the bill to the new parliament which took a longer than expected until recently when the bill was passed.
“The Bill is critical to the future of Ghana’s environment and wildlife resources which is fast disappearing”, he said.
The Executive Director mentioned that the current state of Forest resources has become unbearable as the forest experiences the disappearance of about 20,000 hectors a year with which is bad news for the forest and wildlife community.
As it stands the current levels of illegal and unsustainable trapping, killing and trading of Ghana’s wildlife including rare and protected species are destroying Ghana’s forest and wildlife.
Meanwhile he expresses his hopes for the bill to be passed into law, as it will help strengthen the protection of Ghana’s forest and wildlife, stressing that passing the bill will also mean that the community resource management Area Consult often referred to as CREMA will be established into law to give necessary support to communities to establish CREMA in and around forest resources to benefit communities and also support sustainable management of forest and wildlife.
“Friends of the Earth Ghana and other Environmental and conservation organizations including the Ghana Wildlife Society are now looking to the media to support us in raising the awareness of the wildlife resource management bill and to help us to put pressure on current Government and the minister of lands and natural resources to submit the bill to parliament as a matter of urgency”, Mr. Theo Anderson pleaded.
