The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Professor Edward Wiafe Debrah, has called on the government and policymakers to review and strengthen Ghana’s environmental policies and laws to address emerging threats to biodiversity.
He said several environmental policies and guidelines were outdated, with some dating back to the colonial era, and could no longer adequately respond to the changing methods of exploiting the country’s natural resources.
Prof. Wiafe Debrah made the call yesterday during a virtual training programme for journalists across West Africa organised by the West African Journalists for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (WAJESHA), on the theme: “Understanding biodiversity: Why nature matters to our future.”
He said Ghana was developing rapidly through mining, road construction, agriculture, settlements and other activities, but cautioned that development should not be achieved at the expense of biodiversity.
“Policies must be changed as time evolves. The enemies of biodiversity are changing their methods, and our policies should also change over time,” he stated.
Citing the Forest Ordinance, Cap 157, as an example, Prof. Wiafe Debrah said it contained provisions permitting the utilisation of trees outside forest reserves without replacement.
He explained that the policy was introduced at a time when Ghana needed to expand cocoa production but had remained in place despite changing environmental circumstances.
He called for stronger environmental laws, effective enforcement and accountability to deter environmental crimes, while urging the Government to restore degraded forests, wetlands and other ecosystems and invest in environmental research and innovation.
Prof. Wiafe Debrah said Ghana was at a crossroads, with deforestation, illegal mining, uncontrolled timber harvesting, bushmeat hunting, plastic and chemical pollution, sewage disposal and wetland destruction threatening biodiversity.
He noted that Ghana had lost Miss Waldron’s red colobus (Procolobus badius waldroni) over the past century, warning that continued unsustainable exploitation could lead to further species extinction.
He also cautioned against the indiscriminate use of insecticides, explaining that nearly 75 per cent of crops depended, to some extent, on animal pollination.
“If we eradicate all the bees, who will conduct the pollination for us?” he asked, stressing that artificial pollination could be costly.
He urged Ghanaians to look beyond illegal mining when addressing water pollution, noting that indiscriminate dumping of refuse and the destruction of wetlands for filling stations, supermarkets and other developments also posed serious threats.
“Many of these things are where policy reform comes in. The global world is developing faster and we cannot develop without considering these things,” he said.
Prof. Wiafe Debrah called for greater involvement of local communities in managing forests and other natural resources, saying communities living with biodiversity should benefit from its sustainable use.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA
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