Tens of thousands of cattle have virtually taken over five out of the seven forest reserves within the Sunyani forest district, contrary to Forest Protection ACT 1974, (ACT 243), as amended by the Forest Protection ACT, 2002 (ACT 624).
Per the ACT, it is completely illegal for any domestic animal to graze in the forest. However, it is an entirely different story in the five affected forest reserves, namely Tain 1, Tain 2, Yaya, Nsemire and Sawsaw, all in Bono Region.
Quite recently, some nomadic herdsmen, mainly from the Sahel and neighbouring countries, have ignored all reasonable caution, and invaded these reserves. They have succeeded in destroying large hectares of land, food crops and trees planted under the Green Ghana programme by government. Also affected are farmers in the communities.
The activities of these nomads are also posing serious threats to all investments being made under the Youth in Afforestation initiative as well as the Commercial Plantation Development Project, the Forest Development Programme, the Modified Tonja system, among others.
To halt this menace, the Omanhene of Berekum, Daasebre Amankona Diawuo, is collaborating with the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission and the Bono Regional Security Council to mount a sustained pressure on all nomadic herdsmen to vacate all forest reserves in the area immediately.
Shoot and kill
The Omanhene, addressing a news conference at his palace in Berekum on Tuesday, stated that a security taskforce led by the military had been constituted to flush these herdsmen from the reserves to protect the ecology.
According to him, the taskforce has been mandated to ‘shoot and kill’ any cattle found in any forest reserve during their operation. He therefore asked anyone involved or behind the activities of the herdsmen to, as a matter of urgency, evacuate all his cattle from the forest reserves in their own interest.
The traditional leaders, however, extended an invitation to anyone who genuinely wants land outside the forest for use and development, as a modern cattle ranch with boreholes and irrigation facilities, among others, to approach Nananom for assistance.
Francis Brobbey, the Sunyani District Manager of Forest Services of the Forestry Commission, said following the government’s afforestation drive since 2002, some investments had been made in the sector to protect the country’s forest cover. However, he observed, all the gains being made could be eroded if urgent steps are not taken to halt the invasion of illegal activities such as grazing and bush burning in forest reserves.
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