FAO Moves To Halt Illegal Logging

Musa Saihou Mbenga FAO Representative in Ghana exchanging notes with Glen Asomaning Projects Officer, West Africa Forest Programme Office

As part of efforts to tackle the depletion of Ghana’s forest, which is due to illegal logging, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has signed two agreements with its partners, the European Union (EU) and the Government of Ghana to help curb the practice.

The two projects are aimed at “strengthening the capabilities of forest fringe communities in southern Ghana to halt illegal logging, which is being implemented by the Forest Research Institute of Ghana, facilitating compliance with Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and Due Diligence Regulation in Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone” implemented by the World Wide Fund (WWF), West Africa Forest Programme Office.

The projects are being funded with €200,000.

At the signing ceremony in Accra, the FAO Representative in Ghana, Musa Saihou Mbenga said “illegal logging has devastating environmental, social and economic impacts on some of the world’s most valuation forests. The World Bank estimated that governments around the world lost over $10 billion in revenue due to illegal trade in timber and timber products in 2006.”

He added that WWF for Nature estimated that approximately 19 per cent of timber that entered the European Union markets in 2006 were potentially from illegal sources while estimations of illegality in the entire global market are higher.

He said it is for this reason that the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) FLEGT support programme seek to ensure legal timber trade and strengthening forest governance in ACP countries.

Mr. Mbenga indicated that “the ACP-FLEGT Support Programme funded by the EU and implemented by FAO promotes the implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan in ACP countries by improving forest governance, providing technical assistance, capacity building and support to implement pilot projects.”

He said the Action Plan outlines a number of measures that support greater transparency in producer countries as well as requirements for importers in Consumer countries.

These requirements, he indicated, are generally agreed upon through a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) signed between the two sides.

He stated that the VPA, whose implementation is expected to end in 2011, has the potential to dramatically improve governance in the forest sector of Ghana.

However, he said there are no structures and systems in place to ensure civil society and forest dependent communities participation in the VPA.

“Therefore the signing of these two additional agreements will provide support to the Government of Ghana and all stakeholders to successfully implement the VPA and continue to improve governance of forest resources in Ghana,” Mr. Mbenga emphasised.

He noted that FAO’s overall objective is to facilitate information and knowledge on forest management opportunities that will help Ghana better manage her national endowment of natural resources.

Musah Adu Juam, Technical Director (Forestry) at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, reiterated government’s commitment towards curbing illegal logging by engaging communities in sensitization programmes.

He was hopeful that the purpose of the project will be achieved after its one-year term.

By Esther Awuah