The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has called on stakeholders in the forestry and wildlife sector to work closely with local communities to protect the country’s wildlife resources from destruction.
He stressed that collaborative efforts in enforcing laws and regulations in the wildlife sector were the surest way forward to ensuring the sustainable management of wildlife resources.
The Ellembelle Member of Parliament (MP) made the call in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, at a stakeholder consultative meeting on the development of a Legislative Instrument (L.I) for the operationalisation of the Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2023 (Act 1115).
The stakeholder consultative meeting was held last Tuesday, drawing participants from the Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Volta, and Oti regions.
The draft L. I makes provision for Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs), management of protected areas, and management of wildlife outside protected areas and international conventions.
Context
The Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2024 (Act 1115) in Ghana, which was assented to on March 1, 2024, revised and consolidated outdated laws and established a modern framework for wildlife protection and protected area management.
The Act introduced community involvement through CREMAs and set higher, stricter penalties for wildlife offences to curb illegal activities.
It further aligned national laws with international conventions, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (RAMSAR).
It is against that backdrop that the L. I is being developed to facilitate the implementation of Act 1115.
Wildlife governance
Mr Buah stressed that the government was committed to enacting and implementing stringent laws to protect the country’s natural resources from destruction.
He said that, in that regard, there was a need for a comprehensive and watertight L.I. to operationalise Act 1115.
The minister urged participants in the meeting to critically review the gaps and implementation challenges in the L.I. and incorporate practical, workable solutions.
He said the draft L.I would provide clarity on the governance and management of protected areas, as well as procedures for granting of permits, licences and concessions.
Again, he said it would provide for community participation and benefit-sharing mechanisms; regulation of wildlife trade and utilisation; enforcement measures and sanctions; international conventions, institutional coordination and oversight mechanisms.
“We intend that the L.I. strengthens transparency, enhances compliance, and ensures that conservation efforts are not only protective but also development-oriented,” he added.
The minister said it was worrying that although wildlife resources served as crucial ecological assets, with economic and social significance, those resources were under increasing pressure from habitat loss, illegal hunting, encroachment, pollution and climate change.
He said attention was being given to communities living around protected areas and wildlife corridors to ensure that they were not marginalised but were recognised as partners in conservation.
“Sustainable wildlife management must go hand in hand with livelihood support, equitable benefit-sharing, and respect for traditional knowledge systems,” he added.
Collaboration
The Executive Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Joseph Boakye, said the stakeholder consultation was a step toward developing an L.I. comprehensive enough to address challenges in the wildlife sector, including poaching, encroachment and climate change.
He underscored the need for participants to carefully review the document to ensure the new law would be robust enough to protect the country’s wildlife.
“We need to bear in mind that we inherited natural resources, including wildlife, from previous generations, and we need to manage them well and leave them in a pristine state, if not better, for the unborn generation,” he said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
