By Fatima Anafu –
Astanga, GNA
Bolgatanga (UE),
July 18, GNA – The Western Wildlife Corridor has established six Community
Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) covering 610,000 hectares in seven years
under the Sustainable Land and Water Policy.
The successes
chalked exceeded expected target of 400,000 hectares of CREMAS.
Mr John Naada,
Regional Manager, Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission in the Upper
East Region revealed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Monday
in Bolgatanga.
Mr Naada said the
six CREMAS were sandwiched between the Nazinga Game Reserve, Gbele Resource and
the Mole National Park enclave and noted that the success was as result of
acceptance and commitment of communities that have come to appreciate the need
to protect natural resource that would support life.
Mr Naada indicated
that his outfit and partners were not resting on their oars and indicated that
it was necessary to do more to ensure communities got benefit s of the
protected areas and said the introduction of CREMAs in the region was aimed at
supporting local communities to take control of their environment and their own
natural resources.
He stated
“government cannot protect natural resources in the country alone and therefore
the CREMA concept is for communities to help government to protect these
natural resources”.
He called for good
management of the protected forests for generation to come.
He acknowledged the
laborious nature of establishing CREMAs and said a high degree of commitment
and acceptance was a requirement to sustaining interest of the communities
involved.
Stating some of the
challenges encountered in the establishment of CREMAs, Mr Naada indicated that
resources were key to working with communities to make them masters of their
own, and added that the achievement made in seven years could not determine
that all communities had knowledge about CREMA and the need for the protection
of natural resources.
To this end he
called for support for his outfit to intensify its work and asked for human
capital, financial and logistics support to sensitize communities.
He further called
for increased partnership to ensure that the policy for which CREMAs were
established could achieve the needed results.
GNA