WWF - Ghana News & Publications

WWF West Africa Forest Programme Office develops guide for timber exporters and importers from Ghana and Liberia

2012-12-15

WWF – West Africa Forest Programme Office has completed its project on "Facilitating compliance with Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade and European Union Timber Regulation (EU TR) in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia".

The project, implemented over a 17 - month duration resulted in the development of a timber legality guide for timber exporters and importers from Ghana and Liberia. Another key output of the project is the development of a strategy document for civil society organizations in environment, forest and social sectors as they seek to present a common front in the negotiation and implementation of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) in Cote d'Ivoire. Funding for this project has been provided by the European Union through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation's African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme.

The Project
Recognizing the changing international export requirements resulting from changing legal regimes such as the EU Timber Regulation and the United States Lacey Act Amendment among others, the project sought to contribute to measures targeted at eliminating illegal logging from the supply chains in these countries. Specifically, the project had an objective to develop a West Africa Timber Traders' guide and to use this guide in various capacity building activities during and beyond the project's duration.

Building Partnerships
As WWF – WAFPO is based in Accra, Ghana, the approach was to build partnerships with key stakeholders in these countries to execute activities with WAFPO's oversight monitoring and supervision. The Forest Development Authority of Liberia, the Timber Validation Department of the Forestry Commission of Ghana and the National Working Group on Forest Certification and Sustainable Forest Management (GNT) in Cote d'Ivoire were partnered to undertake project activities. Critical inputs were provided by TRAFFIC – The wildlife trade monitoring network, the FAO in Ghana and the IDL group in Ghana and Liberia. All activities were however conducted with the technical supervision of WWF WAFPO's Global Forest and Trade Network Programme.

Major Outcomes
In Ghana and Liberia, project beneficiaries have a good understanding of what the EU Timber Regulation is. The understanding of what to do to meet the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation has been greatly enhanced. Discussions with different stakeholder groups both in Ghana and Liberia to assist companies to maintain European market access after March 2013 are already underway as one group seeks to self-regulate as another seek to modify existing systems and create some more credibility for these systems. The results of a rapid needs assessment study conducted under this project for Ghana and Liberia has provided stakeholders vital information on where to concentrate future detailed needs assessment studies as well as where to concentrate immediate interventions. In Cote d'Ivoire, some level of enthusiasm has been generated among these civil society organizations to engage as a single unit in the upcoming VPA negotiations as well on other natural resources management issues including REDD+.

Moving forward
The document developed for Ghana and Liberia even though very useful, is only a first step. It is a good tool for other civil society organizations to use in their community educational programmes on forest management for instance. Moving forward however, there is a clear need to further simplify this document for specific target groups.

For Cote d'Ivoire, as captured in the words of Kouadio Bouattenin, the Technical Coordinator for GNT – CI "even though available funding was not much and the time was limited, the process has been fairly successful with participation in the regional meetings exceeding expectation; it is however a process which cannot be concluded within the tenure of this project; I believe subsequent activities will make our platform more formidable". The acceptance of the strategy document is only a first step of several processes to come. Stakeholders will have to operationalize this strategy. Different stakeholders with experiences and capacities of various forms are therefore called upon to support this platform if the desired results can be achieved.

Contact Glen Asomaning @ gasomaning@wwfghana.org or Mustapha Seidu @ mseidu@wwfghana.org for more information.

AfDB and WWF to launch Africa Ecological Footprint Report

2012-05-31

Arusha, Tanzania: The African Development Bank (AfDB) and global conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) have launched today a joint report on the state of Africa's environment.

The Africa Ecological Footprint Report: Green Infrastructure for Africa's Ecological Security takes stock of the health of Africa's ecosystems, as well as trends in resources use patterns. It also lays out recommendations on implementing green development pathways for Africa.

This report is intended to stoke up thinking on greener development in Africa and to rally action by policy-makers and investors in the lead-up to Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development taking place later this month in Brazil.

"Africa has choices", underlines AfDB President, Donald Kaberuka. "Embracing a more sustainable approach to development can generate benefits in terms of environmental security, human wellbeing, and increased competitiveness."

The Africa Ecological Footprint Report 2012 outlines two alarming trends, which if not addressed by policy-makers and investors are likely to lead to important social and economic impacts. First, by tracking the changes in wildlife populations as a proxy for ecosystem health, the Africa Living Planet Index shows a decline of nearly 40% in biodiversity in the last four decades. This decline reflects a degradation of the natural systems upon which Africa's current and future prosperity depends.

Second, rapid population growth and increasing prosperity are changing consumption patterns, with the result that Africa's ecological footprint – the area needed to generate the resources consumed by the people who live here – has been growing steadily. While Africa's total ecological footprint is set to double by 2040 in a business-as-usual scenario, the good news is that Africa is in an advantageous position to act. It is endowed with tremendous natural resources, which, if managed properly, will be able to meet the needs of a growing population. And its relatively low footprint may be maintained if forward-looking and large-scale solutions can be mobilised in the areas of renewable energy, urban planning, and sound management of forests, water and marine resources.

The opportunity and urgency to act to ensure adequate and equitable access to water, fuel and food in the coming decades is highlighted by Jim Leape, WWF Director General.

"Our ecological infrastructure – terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems – is as essential to human development as are industrial and social infrastructures such as roads, schools, hospitals and energy provision," said WWF's Jim Leape. "The Africa Ecological Footprint Report showcases successful and scalable initiatives across Africa in renewable energy, integrated water resource management, ecotourism and forest conservation. The report offers concrete recommendations for maintaining Africa's natural capital as the foundation for sustainable and inclusive development and I urge decision-makers to act on them."

Donald Kaberuka and Jim Leape launched the report together on 1 June as part of the AfDB's Annual Meetings in Arusha. The event, attended by AfDB senior staff, government ministers, NGO representatives, African business and financial leaders, and the African and international media, is intended to inspire interest and action from these key decision-makers. The report will also be featured at a side event of the Rio+20 conference in June.

AfDB and WWF formally entered into a partnership last July, agreeing to initially focus on three areas of cooperation: developing win-win partnerships with emerging economies and strengthening South-South cooperation; catalysing knowledge sharing and knowledge products for green growth and sustainable development; collaborating on energy and water resource management; and climate change. This report is the first joint product of this partnership.

With a recent tripling of its capitalisation to USD 100 billion, the AfDB is the most important multilateral institution financing development in Africa. As the continent faces rapid economic and population growth, and growing resource and climate pressures, the AfDB plays an essential role in ensuring sustainable and equitable development.

WWF is the world's largest environmental non-governmental organisation and has been active in Africa since its foundation more than 50 years ago. WWF works together with governments, businesses and local communities to deliver conservation and sustainable development worldwide.

To download the report, and to find out more, go to: www.panda.org/lpr/africa2012 or www.afdb.org.

Is Cocoa Cultivation compatible with Sustainable Forest Management

2011-12-07

Accra - WWF´s West Africa Forest Programme Office (WAFPO), West Africa Fair Fruit (WAFF) and the Ghanaian timber manufacturing company John Bitar & Company Limited (JCM) are working on a joint project that aims to prevent the destruction of the forests in Ghana and to stop people from encroaching forest reserves.

The project consists of increasing the production of cocoa cultivation that, as a result, will boost higher farm incomes, and is being implemented in 15 communities around the Suhuma forest reserve in the Western Region of Ghana.

Cocoa is still the number one foreign exchange earner for both Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire creating more than 2.5 million jobs in West Africa alone. However, it is also known to be one of the leading causes of deforestation in Ghana and other West African countries. The Ghanaian government has adopted the policy line to convert areas outside forest reserves to agricultural land and use forest reserves mainly for timber production and conservation purposes. Recent developments, however, have shown that cocoa farms are sprouting in forest reserves, which is mainly due to a lack of fertile lands for cocoa production as a result of unsustainable cocoa farming practices.

Working together
WWF has been working for many years to promote sustainable forest management within the Upper Guinean Moist Forest, one of WWF's global 200 ecoregions. Through WWF's Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) programme in Ghana, WWF is encouraging forest companies to obtain FSC certification. John Bitar & Company Limited is one of companies that has been part of this process and as such, is progressing steadily towards full FSC forest management (FM) certification. According to Mr. Clement Wulnye, the Certification Manager for JCM: "this project has created a platform where we can engage communities directly in our community consultation programme".

Solidaridad is one of the main funders of this project through West Africa Fair Fruit (WAFF), a non-profit organization that provides business services to fair trade and organic fruit processors, cooperatives, smallholders and private farms. WAFF in Ghana is coordinating various projects aimed to achieve certification of cocoa farming plantations. This is expected to make their farms more productive thus increasing the income levels of farmers.

John Bitar & Company Limited is a timber processing company with facilities in Sefwi Wiawso and Sekondi Takoradi, the Western Region of Ghana, that has firmly committed to achieve forest management (FM) certification according to the Forest Stewardship Council. One of the FSC pillars is the social component that is part of forest management operations. JCM's contribution to this project is to support the communities of the Suhuma Forest Reserve with the certification of their cocoa plants that will help to increase their net income and create good working relations between the timber company and the forest communities.

Good for people and good for forests
This project brings two main benefits: one for people and one for forests.

Firstly, local farmers will be able to increase their income as they adopt good agricultural practices and benefit from improved forests because encroachment and the establishment of plantations in forest reserves will disappear.

Mr. Kwame Amanful, a farmer from Kofikrom in the Akontombra District of the Western Region who owns a three hectare cocoa plantation: "Now I see a lot of progress on my farm, I spend less money on pesticides and fertilizers after I received training on good agricultural practices".

Mr. Festus Kumah of Asantekrom also from the Akontrombra District: "I have been taught how to prune my trees which has reduced the incidence of black pod disease; even though there are few pods , I am certain to harvest all of them.

Until recently, trees on cocoa farms in Ghana were harvested by loggers who paid very little or sometimes even didn´t offer any compensation to local cocoa farmers. So a strong motivation to plant or maintain trees on the farms wasn't there. However, a newly adopted regulation in Ghana now gives ownership to the one who plants and nurtures the trees. This project therefore perfectly fits with the regulation and the potential benefits it will bring through education. Furthermore, farmers are encouraged to plant at least 18 trees for each hectare of cocoa stand.

Mr. Kwame Apau Blay, the WWF/WAFF Officer in charge of this project: farmers have now agreed to plant shade trees on their farms – a practice which first faced fierce opposition. Now, trees that already exist on the farm are left uncut to provide shade, pesticide containers are no longer washed in streams or rivers, and a buffer zone (between 5 – 10 m depending on size of stream) is left for new planting sites.

Special tree species are selected to maintain the forest biodiversity and to improve soil nutrient levels, soil fertility hence soil productivity. Finally, through this educational project, farmers will get their plantations certified, achieve higher cocoa yield and eventually prevent forest encroachment.

Depending on the further successful outcome and funding opportunities, this project will be expanded to other areas within the Guinean Moist Forest Ecozone.

Contact
Glen Asomaning, WWF West Africa Forest Programme Office for more information

GFTN Ghana participants John Bitar & Company Ltd. and Logs and Lumber Ltd. achieve Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification

2011-11-30

Accra - In the months of May and June 2011, John Bitar & Company Limited and Logs and Lumber Limited, two of the largest timber companies in Ghana and members of WWF´s Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), were granted Controlled Wood (CW) and Chain of Custody (CoC) certification (http://info.fsc.org) by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which will enable them to supply sustainable forest products to their buyers.

FSC Controlled Wood rewards companies that are making progress towards certification but do not yet meet the complete requirements for full forest management certification, thus eliminating 'bad' timber from the supply chain. It was introduced to meet growing demand for FSC and close the gap between demand and supply of FSC products.

CW applies five main criteria which is to avoid:
•Illegally harvested wood;
•Wod harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights;
•Wood harvested in forests where high conservation values are threatened by management activities;
•Wood harvested in forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use;
•Wood from forests in which genetically modified trees are planted.

When asked what has changed since the company achieved the Controlled Wood certificate, Mr. Samauel Tseganu, Certification Manager of John Bitar and Company Ltd. said: "According to our sales and marketing department, our customer base has increased significantly". Mr. Salifu Abdul Moomin, Certification Manager of Logs and Lumber Ltd. who was asked the same question, replied: " Since then, we have seen our export volumes increase because skeptical buyers are now feeling comfortable to buy our timber".

Both companies have been participating in the GFTN – West Africa programme (WAFPO) that is based in Accra, Ghana, since 2006. As such, they have been contributing to GFTN's global mission to transform the market place into a force for safeguarding the world's valuable and threatened forests, whilst ensuring that these forests continue to provide economic and social benefits for the business and people who depend on them. GFTN is currently helping four of the largest timber companies in Ghana, to prepare for, and ultimately achieve FSC Forest Management (FM) certification.

Demand for responsible forest certification in Ghana has existed since the late 1990s, however, the actual work started in 2005 when the first baseline assessments were conducted for these companies with GFTN support. Since then, many companies have started to adopt forest management certification according to the FSC principles because it demonstrates to buyers that the wood has been sustainably produced or, at least, is coming from legal sources that can be traced back. FSC certification ensures that the forest is managed in an environmental, social and economic way so that it benefits the environment, people and businesses.

A win-win situation
With the support of WWF in Ghana, John Bitar & Company Ltd. and Logs and Lumber Ltd. have made significant efforts amongst which the assessment of High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF), the preparation of documentation needed and the cleaning up of their supply chains in order to fully eliminate illegally sourced wood. Both companies also increased the number of educational courses for fringing forest communities who are now better benefiting from the timber operations of these two companies in their forests. One current example is a WWF-WAFPO project that is implemented with the support of John Bitar and West Africa Fair Fruit www.waffcompany.com to assist cocoa growing forest fringing communities to become more efficient and generate increased income through community farming practices.

What challenges remain
For the two companies, achieving Controlled Wood and Chain of Custody certification is only a first step. The ultimate goal will be to achieve full FSC forest management certification that is expected to drive significant improvements in their forest management practices and that will guarantee full market access. The companies are also encouraged to continue their efforts if the demand for responsibly sourced timber and wood products continues to grow, the right environment is provided and support can be guaranteed by the forest management authorities in Ghana.

END

Palm oil industry shifts gears, commits to market transformation

2011-11-24

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia – The 9th annual Meeting of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) concluded today with a vote at the General Assembly (GA) where most RSPO members present supported a new vision for the organization – to transform the palm industry into one where sustainability becomes an everyday practice for all.

To date RSPO members have produced over 5.2 milion tonnes of palm oil certified to strict standards that help ensure that forests, species and communities are not harmed by palm oil production.

"The entire value chain needs to be part of the solution and not the problem," said Adam Harrison, Senior Policy Officer for WWF UK and WWF's representative on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Executive Board. "The RSPO has moved from just certifying growers to transforming the whole industry, which says to me that the organization is growing up and is starting to deliver on the ambition it set for itself. Nevertheless, in order for the RSPO to deliver on this transformation, companies along the entire value chain need to be more transparent and take control of the oil palm they are producing, trading, using and selling."

More transparency, better traceability

According to WWF, one of the major hurdles facing the future of CSPO is the industry's overall lack transparency and limited efforts to implement proper traceability. The WWF's Palm Oil Buyers' Scorecard 2011, which was released in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday, identified both of these as major challenges, saying that the lack of collective will to solve these problems is risks becoming a major disincentive to further certification.

WWF says that buyers of CSPO need to take control of their supply chains and declare how much certified sustainable palm oil they are using. This would provide growers with the reassurance they need to say in business, and show consumers that they are serious about their commitments and acting responsibly.

Transforming the market also requires strong support from traders, who wield considerable influence. Traders must ensure the traceability of the palm oil they are buying and supplying to their customers, which could act as a major catalyst for future market growth and offer the assurances currently lacking along the supply chain.

Meanwhile, growers would benefit from increased transparency and better traceability by gaining a stronger sense confidence, more control over their management units, and an overall increase of returns on their commitment to providing certified sustainable palm oil.

Palm oil industry shows resolve in addressing climate change

Another key recommendation that emerged at the 3-day meet was that the RSPO's Principals & Criteria should include a 0 net carbon emission clause, setting a new benchmark for companies that aim to produce palm oil in a responsible manner.  

"Reducing greenhouse gases is a huge challenge facing the industry in the region, and it is a very welcome sign that the RSPO has reached consensus on how to tackle GHGs and made a recommendation to change the organization's standards to accommodate this critical issue," said Irwan Gunawan, WWF Indonesia's Corporate Engagement Manager.

***

Update: The RSPO has announced that due to insufficient quorum, eligible members that could not attend the General Assembly are expected to cast their ballots via email:

On November 24th 2011, the 8th General Assembly for the RSPO Members was held at Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu. Due to the insufficient quorum (50% of the total Ordinary Membership required: 549 in total), the 224 attending members voted that the following procedure be adopted:

    1.           I.          A balloting/voting process by the attending members of all the resolutions proposed
    2.         II.          Thereafter, an email will be circulated to all eligible members who could not attend the General assembly, to cast their ballot on the individual resolutions.
    3.        III.          All votes received via email will be reconciled with those that were cast during the GA8 and all members will be informed on the final results which will also be published on the website.

No specific timeline was given for the results of the final vote.

For more information, please visit http://www.rspo.org/?q=content/announcement-8th-general-assembly-24th-november-2011

New Focus for WWF - West Africa Forest Programme Office (WAFPO)

2010-11-01

WWF's West Africa Regional Office was based in Abidjan since the mid 1970s until the civil war in Cote d'Ivoire forced WWF to close its office in Abidjan in 2005. As a result staff and equipment were moved to Ghana with a focus of developing a forest programme for WWF in West Africa, particularly in Ghana. It has been officially registered in Ghana as an international NGO since 2007.

WWF WAFPO's Successes

Since moving to the country, the Ghana office has been managing and implementing the WWF West Africa Forest Programme under the Guinean Moist Forest Eco-regional Strategy. Over the years, WWF has achieved successes and made conservation gains within the Guinean Moist Forest Eco-region. Key achievements in terrestrial West Africa include:

•Designation of the Guinean Moist Forest as one of WWF Global 200 Ecoregions critical for conservation
•Establishment of autonomous project for the Tai National Park with a goal of ensuring long term protection of the Tai National Park ecosystem
•Establishment of a sustainable forest conservation and management programme for the Guinean Moist Forest Ecoregion in collaboration with local, national and international partners, and the WWF network
•Empowerment of forest fringe communities in forest management through capacity building and educational programmes. This has helped to reduce forest conflicts between forest enterprises and local communities.
•Practical trainings in Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) of five of the largest forest enterprises in Ghana have brought internal efficiency to their operations through reduced forest workers' accidents, improved quality of logs felled, less machine downtime and the positive impact on the forest environment.
•Establishment of timber traceability for forest enterprises in Ghana
•Assessment and identification of outstanding ecological and social values (High Conservation Values) within timber production areas of over 400,000 ha of forest reserves. This has led to the modification of companies' operations to protect rivers, streams, sacred areas, endangered species (Chimpanzees, Bear-headed rockfowl, forest elephants etc) and minimize collateral damage to the residual forest.
•Improvement in the livelihoods of wood carvers in Aburi through the promotion of alternative carving wood sources and the provision of solar kiln for their operations.
•Development of Management Effectiveness Tool for Protected Areas
•Engagement of governments and forest authorities of the countries of Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia in development of enabling conditions for conservation impacts in the sub-region

The New Direction

The West Africa Forest Programme Office is now responsible for developing and monitoring the WWF West Africa Forest Programme in the Guinean Moist Forest Eco-region through the implementation of activities that will lead to responsible forestry and trade. These activities are necessarily complementing and implemented through the Global Forest and Trade Network – West Africa programme. The GFTN – a WWF-led partnership programme – aims at transforming the marketplace into a positive force to save the world's most valuable and threatened forests. Therefore, a number of projects relevant to the Guinean Moist Forest can be implemented under the programme.

Some of the specific areas of interest include:
•Forest governance and law enforcement
•Trade in legally and responsibly harvested timber (both domestic and international)
•Responsible forest management
•Climate change, REDD+, forest carbon and related activities
•Capacity building and development of forest fringe communities
•Conservation of biodiversity and wildlife in production forest areas
•Sustainable cocoa production in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire
•Agricultural impacts on forests in Ghana and West Africa in general
•Development of standards for best practices in commodity production in Ghana and West Africa

In view of our interest in achieving responsible forestry and trade within the Guinean Moist Forest Ecoregion, we welcome partnerships that will bring additive values into our respective goals. In that respect WWF Ghana office is ready to partner on the above stated areas.

For further information contact: Mustapha Seidu via mseidu@wwfghana.org

WWF-WAFPO Programme Coordinator Appointed as Board Member in Ghana

2009-09-14

Accra - WWF-West Africa Forest Programme Office (WAFPO) Programme Coordinator, Dr. Kwame Asamoah Adam, has been appointed as member of the board for the Forestry Commission of Ghana. This position was conferred on him in his capacity as the President of the Ghana Institute of Foresters.

His presence on the board will provide WWF an opportunity to push forward conservation concerns in Ghana as well as West Africa as a whole. Dr. Kwame Asamoah Adam has been the Programme Coordinator for WWF-WAFPO since September 2008. Prior to joining WWF, he held a Senior Research Scientist position within the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana and since August 2007 has been the President of the Ghana Institute of Foresters.

WWF-WAFPO is presently implementing the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) programme, a WWF's initiative to eliminate illegal logging from supply chains and transform the global market place into a force for saving the world's valuable and threatened forests. Learn more about GFTN.

Related news:
* Ghana - Forestry Commission Gets New Board (Ghana News Agency, 3 September 2009)

Related link:
Forestry Commission of Ghana

Chief calls for assistance for forest guards

2009-06-23

He suggested to the commission to institute an insurance scheme to cover the committee members so that in the event of injury or death their dependants would not suffer unduly.

Nana Gyampah, who was addressing members of the local committee at Aboum, said lives of members had always been in danger in the forest fringe communities as they faced attacks by illegal chainsaw operators.

The chief therefore appealed to the government to give the committee support by providing them with defensive equipment and logistics such as Wellington boots, torch lights and identification cards.

"The committee needs to be given proper attention as a morale booster," he said and urged forest guards not to see themselves as enemies but potential allies with the aim of ensuring sustainable management of forest and wildlife resources.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Minister calls for crusade against chain-saw operators

2009-05-29

He has therefore called for a meeting of all stakeholders in the Lands and Natural Resources sector to strategize on hwo to counter their activities.

Alhaji Collins Dauda made the call when he toured sections of the Tinte Bepo Forest Reserve near Bechem in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo Region to examine the situation.

Alhaji Collins Dauda toured the Tinte Bepo Reserve in the Brong Ahafo region after he had received information about the effect of illegal activities of chain saw operators on the forest.

He was accompanied by the police, forestry officers and the media. Sections of the forest have been depleted as both young and old trees are felled indiscriminately. Alhaji Dauda expressed regret at the rate trees are being wasted. The operators had fled and left their equipment behind as well as foodstuff and cooking utensils when they got wind of the Minister's visit.

He issued a strong warning to the perpetrators of the illegal activities and said legal actions would be taken against anyone caught in the illegal activity which is destroying the valuable resources. He tasked the District Assembly and the police to ensure that all sawn lumber in the bush are conveyed to Bechem. He said portion of the Forest Reserve which is being depleted should be ceded to the forest office at Bechem instead of Nkawie in the Ashanti Region for effective supervision. Alhaji Collins Dauda appealed to chiefs in the area to be part of the crusade against the destruction of the Forests.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo said the rate at which illegal tree felling is taking place makes the issue a security one. He said the Regional Security Council will meet over it and in collaboration with the Sector Ministry and all other stakeholders will formulate policies and strategies to combat the menace.

Source: Ghana Broadcasting Coperation
http://www.gbcghana.com/news/26249detail.html

Aburi Wood Carvers Get Solar Kiln Dryer

2009-05-05

"The solar kiln dryer will facilitate the drying activities of wood carvers at the AIC and particularly enhance the use of neem (Azadirachta indica) as an alternative wood species for carving," according to the Accra-based West Africa Regional Programme Office (WAFPO) of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The WWF- WAFPO provided the facility, measuring 25m3, to cap an 18-month pilot project on "Alternative Carving Wood for Sustainable Livelihood in Ghana." The French Embassy in Ghana financed the entire project to the tune of 48,000 Euros (about 70,000 Ghana Cedis). At the commissioning of the project on Thursday, Dr. Kwame Asamoah Adam, WWF- WAFPO Forest Programme Leader, said the facility could also be used to enhance the practical training of Junior High School students who wish to be trained as artisans and Senior High School students who may use the facility as a source of reference who wish to be artisans as well as those in the sciences. He indicated the desire of WWF-WAFPO to replicate the project in other wood carving communities across the country such as Ahwia, Ofoase and Kpando. He, therefore, encouraged other donors to come on board.

The WWF-WAFPO started "Alternative Carving Wood for Sustainable Livelihood in Ghana" following the realization that most sought after traditional tree species like Ossese, Ebony, Danta and Kusia, which served as raw materials for wood carvers had become rare and locally extinct because they were virtually depleted in Ghana's natural forests. This threatened the well-being of wood carvers who depended on the supply of these species for their livelihoods. Naturally, the AIC, the largest of four wood carving centres in Ghana with an estimated 1,300 of the nation's 3,500 carvers was severely affected. The scarcity of raw materials also had consequences for Ghana's export of handicraft. In 2004, handicraft exports were in excess of $2.3 million. This shot up significantly to $18.9 million the following year though Ghanaian carvings struggled to compete in quality with those from Eastern Africa, notably Kenya. There was need to replenish the forests or find alternatives.

The WWF-WAFPO project aimed at identifying and developing suitable and sustainable alternative carving wood sources by facilitating a shift from the use of the fast diminishing but preferred species to suitable fast growing species such as the neem tree. Several targets were set for the project including sensitization of stakeholders in the carving industry about the neem as an efficient alternative wood source and subsequent adoption of farm forestry for neem trees by land owners.Dr. Adam pointed out that the kiln was not part of the initial project design but its establishment became fundamental to the successful realization of the project's objective of introducing neem tree as an alternative carving wood to carvers at the AIC. Mainly, it would provide solution to the problem of improper drying mechanism of the neem wood in the open air and help carvers to meet large orders on time.

The neem tree grows extensively around Accra plains and has the advantage of being widely available and fast growing compared to the indigenous hardwoods. It however has two major problems. The first has to do with cracking and checking of neem wood during various stages of carving and in the finished product. The other is the growth of mould on finished products. Experts say both problems are moisture related; the cracking and checking are generally associated with rapid drying while the moulding has to do with insufficient drying to below a certain level of moisture content.

A representative of the carvers said the project had been very beneficial to them, especially because it had enhanced their capacities.Mr. Arnaud Dornon, Head of the Cooperation and Cultural Service of the French Embassy, said the agency supported the project through its special programme for non-governmental and civil society organisations called the Fund for Social Development (FSD).
"The French Co-operation strongly believes in linking economic development and protection of the environment," Mr. Dornon stated, expressing optimism that "the whole project will enable the carvers to increase their income and provide them with a better livelihood."

Author: Frederick Asiamah

WWF Signs New Agreement for African Cetaceans

2008-12-05

Mamadou Diallo, from the WWF's West African Marine Ecoregion Programme today signed a new intergovernmental agreement to conserve the West African Manatee and Small Whales in Western Africa and Macaronesia.

The conservation instrument consists of 2 Action Plans for the conservation of theses species was first adopted by 15 countries in Togo in October, and opened for signatory by implementing partners today.

Along with WWF, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society also signed the agreement.

More than 30 small cetacean species will be covered in this agreement, in an area that stretches from Macaronesia, through Morocco to South Africa.

The need to conserve and raise awareness of western Africa's marine mammals is as pressing as ever. Various threats, includin:

direct and accidental catch,
coastal development,
pollution and
habitat degradation,

...have caused western African marine mammal populations to decline rapidly. These issues require action on a regional, national and global level.

This agreement can play a vital role in future conservation efforts by helping to facilitate transboundary cooperation and by providing an international platform to negotiate and coordinate research and conservation measures.

15 country representatives signed the agreement in October - Angola, Benin, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Togo).

Wood carvers benefit from marketing and packaging course

2008-10-24

The participants where taken through technologies in product designing and development, wood seasoning and preservation, business management and marketing , product labeling, packaging , health and safety measures in the carving industry.

The six- day workshop was organized by the World Wide Fund (WWF), a global conservation organization with sponsorship from the French embassy in Ghana. WWF's West Africa Forest Programme Office (WAFPO) is based in Ghana. Speaking at the closing ceremony, the consultant for the workshop, Mr. Osei Bobie Boahin, Head of Department at the Integrated Rural Art and Industry (IRAI) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said that the aim of the training was to equip the carvers with new skills that would help them compete with their foreign counterparts.

According to him most of works done by the wood carvers were seen to be duplicates of other works and therefore the workshop aimed at giving them innovative ideas to help them come up with their own concepts. Also currently most of the wood carvers at the AIC and other centers depend mainly on some particular trees for their work and those trees were reducing at a fast rate which would mean that within some few years most of them would be out of job.

It was to avert the situation of job loss that we decided during the workshop to introduce them to other equally useful trees such as the nim tree, etc which although common is not used for carving, he indicated. In addition Mr. Boahin said that it was further realized that most of them did not have the requisite knowledge on wood preservation and as part of the training they were taken through wood preservation methods using local plants so as to help them in their endeavors.

The Consultant said that the training also afforded the wood carvers the opportunity to learn more about how to come out with better finished products and market them for the international market. The Vice-President of AIC, Mr. Addo Biney indicated that the workshop had opened their eyes to many issues that hitherto were not known to them. According to him through the workshop, they have learnt about the best practices in designing and marketing among other topics to help them compete with their fellow counterparts on the international market.

Mr. Biney said although they were surrounded by different trees that are beneficial to their work out of ignorance such trees have been ignored by most of them but through the workshop they have learnt about the use of other trees that are equally good like those they use. He said that the workshop rekindled the hope of many especially the youth who at a point were pessimistic about the future of the profession and therefore were looking at other business enterprises aside the wood carving industry.

Aside the positive impact of the workshop the Mr. Biney called on the WWF to provide them with the needed equipments to help them in their work at the centre. Also the Vice President called on the WWF to help them get involved in exhibition fairs which would help them get the necessary exposure needed to market their products on the international market.

The Forest Programme leader of WWF-WAFPO, Dr. Kwame Asamoah said that his outfit was interested in all human activities that impact on the environment. He indicated that the workshop was to help wood carvers cut-down waste in the use of wood thus ensuring that any period in time their products would be marketable and also sustainable.

Author: Selorm Amevor

Experts Hold Forum On Forests Management

2008-07-08

A stakeholders' forum on Forest Management Planning opened yesterday at the University of Ghana, Legon, in Accra. The objective of the two-day forum is to provide an opportunity for the stakeholders including timber dealers forest conservationists and non-governmental organisationas to discuss with the Forestry Commission modalities for a comprehensive Timber Utilisation Contract (TUC) area plan development and identify ways of enhancing sustainable forest management in Ghana. It was organised by the Forestry Commission (FC) with sponsorship from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Addressing the forum, the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Prof Nii Ashie-Kotey, said Ghana adopted forest management certification as a tool for achieving sustainable forest management in June 1996. Prof Ashie-Kotey said it, however became apparent that, practical forest management in Ghana was below the required standards because the capacity, knowledge and understanding of the workings of forest certification and management was low in Ghana.

In order to provide technical guidance in that regard, the WWF extended its Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN) programme to Ghana in 2004."Four years of GFTN activities in Ghana have enhanced the capacity of a number of concession holders in the area of certification and improved forest management in their respective concessions," he said.Prof. Ashie-Kotey said this was achieved through training, capacity-building programmes on reduced impact logging, certification and auditing. He said inspite of these major achievements, one key impediment that remains to be resolved is the inadequacy or the non-existence of forest management plans. This has necessitated the stakeholders forum.

Mr Mustapha Seidu, Projects Leader of WWF – West Africa Forest programme office in a presentation, said GFTN is a WWF initiative to eliminate illegal logging, transform global market place into a force for saving valuable and threatened forest and facilitate trade links between companies committed to achieving responsible forest management. He said GFTN operates in 34 countries, working with over 360 companies, trade in more than 42 billion US dollars of forest products annually and manage 26.1 million hectares of forest worldwide.

Mr Seidu mentioned key forest management achievement in Ghana by GFTN as progressive paradigm shift in the management of forest purposely for timber to a more exclusive ecosystem. Other achievements are the slow but progressive openness to collaborative forest management, and commitment to international initiatives on forest management and trade in forest products. Illegal chainsaw operations, non development of Timber Utilisation Contract (TUC) area plans, and non conformity to leases of forestry laws and regulations, as some of the problems the GFTN faces in Ghana.

Author: Francis Xah

WWF-WARPO proposes new approach to tackle forest and climate change in Africa

2008-04-18

The approach is built on multi-disciplinary collaboration dubbed Community of Practice (CoP) on Forests and Climate Change in Africa.

This was announced by a Programmes Officer of WWF-WARPO, Mustapha Seidu, during a special side event at the 16th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission, held from the 18th to the 21st of February, 2008 in Khartoum, Sudan. The session, which brought together experts and professionals in forestry and wildlife, was an occasion for reflection on the status of the continent's forest and wildlife resources. Furthermore, it provided an opportunity for the experts to deliberate on the topical issue of forests and climate change. The Session's side events were jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and some of its major partners including WWF-WARPO, which facilitated the discussion on the Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa.

In an interview, Mr. Seidu said the African continent needs to get involved in searching for answers to the complex issue of climate change. In his view the continent is probably the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, and holds less capacity to adapt to the changing climate. Mr. Seidu said his organisation's proposal was a crucial first step in the search for answers in Africa dealing with climate change issues. A consultant for the WWF-WARPO, Arlito Cuco explained that the concept of Community of Practice was based on the idea of groups of people who share a passion for something that they know how to do, and who interact on a regular basis to learn how to do it better and share who those who need to apply this knowledge.

He said the Community of Practice is governed by three characteristics namely domain of knowledge, which defines a common purpose; community of people who care about this domain; and shared practice that they are developing to be effective in their domain. Mr. Cuco stressed Communities of Practice are essentially on Climate Change in Africa and members must work as a community, adding not to be confused with teams or task forces.

So then how was the Community supposed to operate? Mr. Cuco's proposed Terms of Reference were as follows:
Â• Collect and analyse data and information that can be used by the different stakeholders on forest and climate change in Africa,
Â• Develop mechanisms for information sharing and dissemination on forests and climate change in Africa
Â• Manage knowledge and respond to needs on forests and climate change in Africa
Â• Generate and regularly update specific information on forests and climate change that has relevance to the development of the African people
Â• Assist in capacity building of African institutions and those most vulnerable on all facets of forests and climate change in Africa
Â• Suggest policy recommendations to address forests and climate issues in Africa and
Â• Provide technical advice and support services to forests and climate change projects in Africa.

A report on the side event indicated that the idea of forming a Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa, was welcomed by the participants. A representative of the UN Economic Commission on Africa, Charles Akol, praised the idea saying it was timely. But he had some concerns: -
Who would facilitate the process, how would it be financed, and what were the modalities for selecting members?
His fears were allayed by Mr. Seidu, who said WWF-WARPO was ready to facilitate the process if there were no objections to the organization playing such a role. He also stated that WWF-WARPO was developing a joint proposal with the FAO on the concept to be submitted to prospective donors. Mr. Seidu hinted when this is secured, it will be the main source of funding for the Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa.
On the criteria for membership, he said membership is opened to all since participation at the initial stages will be based on self-financing.

A Sudanese participant, Dr. Balgis Osman- Elshan, commended the organizers of the side event, but thought that the Terms of Reference were too ambitious. She suggested that for initial considerations the first two points were the most important. According to Mr. Seidu, other important comments and suggestions were made by the other participants that were worthy of consideration. They included the need to prioritize the Terms of Reference, the need to establish strong partnership with other organizations taking initiatives on climate change and related activities, and the need to form a team of core members that will be instrumental for taking decisions on the way forward with respect to the Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa.

Climate Change is one of the greatest environmental challenges of humanity that has in recent years attracted international attention, has become a major issue of public concern and ranks high on issues for political debates especially in developed countries. Climate change could be described as any significant change in global climate as a result of human activities and natural causes to some degree, with devastating effects on the earth. Experts in forestry have become concerned of late that in talking about climate change, fewer mentions have been made of the central role that forests play.

It is the view of some that even in the Kyoto Protocol, one of the most talked-about multi-lateral environmental agreements in the world, forests were dealt with in a rather ad hoc fashion and ended up being included solely as a tree-planting techno-fix for offsetting fossil fuel-based green house gas (GHG) emissions. The Kyoto Protocol expires after 2012, and arguments are being made to ensure that any subsequent Protocol should emphasize the special role of forests in global climate change. In analyzing the forest-climate change nexus, some experts have concluded that forests emerge as a victim, part of the problem of and part of the solution to climate change.

Mr. Seidu who placed the issue in context, explained that the relationship between forests and climate change is complicated. ¦Forests are the largest terrestrial storehouse of carbon, but at the same time contribute about 20 percent to atmospheric carbon through deforestation and degradation. Therefore, he added, slowing the rate of deforestation could make a significant contribution to overall emission reduction. It was against this background that the side event on the Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa was organized. Ghana's Deputy Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines with responsibility for Forestry, Andrew Agyei Yeboah led the Ghanaian delegation to the Session. In an interview, he admitted that the stakes are high as Africans we need to sit up and take advantage of any available opportunities, since the livelihoods of most of our people are dependent on healthy forests. His sentiments were shared by the Executive Secretary of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Nana Adu Nsiah, who was part of the Ghanaian delegation. He noted that climate change could alter ecosystems and vegetations in ways that could lead to a net exodus of animal species in particular from preferred habitats. Nana Adu Nsiah further noted that protected areas have the potential to reduce climate change. He therefore appealed to all Ghanaians and local communities in particular to support government's efforts at maintaining such places.

They lauded the WWF-WARPO proposal and pledged to support its successful implementation.

Author: Ama Kudom-Agyemang

WWF-WARPO proposes new approach to tackle forest and climate change in Africa

2008-04-18

Collect and analyse data and information that can be used by the different stakeholders on forest and climate change in Africa,
Develop mechanisms for information sharing and dissemination on forests and climate change in Africa
Manage knowledge and respond to needs on forests and climate change in Africa
Generate and regularly update specific information on forests and climate change that has relevance to the development of the African people
Assist in capacity building of African institutions and those most vulnerable on all facets of forests and climate change in Africa
Suggest policy recommendations to address forests and climate issues in Africa and
Provide technical advice and support services to forests and climate change projects in Africa.

A report indicated that the idea of forming a Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa, was welcomed by the participants. A representative of the UN Economic Commission on Africa, Charles Akol, praised the idea saying it was timely. But he had some concerns:

Who would facilitate the process?
How would it be financed?
What were the modalities for selecting members?

His fears were allayed by Mr. Seidu, who said WWF-WARPO was ready to facilitate the process if there were no objections to the organization playing such a role. He also stated that WWF-WARPO was developing a joint proposal with the FAO on the concept to be submitted to prospective donors. Mr Seidu hinted when this is secured, it will be the main source of funding for the Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa.

On the criteria for membership, he said membership is opened to all since participation at the initial stages will be based on self-financing.

A Sudanese participant, Dr Balgis Osman- Elshan, commended the organizers of the event, but thought that the Terms of Reference were too ambitious. She suggested that for initial considerations the first two points were the most important.

Climate Change is one of the greatest environmental challenges of humanity that has in recent years attracted international attention, has become a major issue of public concern and ranks high on issues for political debates especially in developed countries. Climate change could be described as any significant change in global climate as a result of human activities and natural causes to some degree, with devastating effects on the earth. Experts in forestry have become concerned of late that in talking about climate change, fewer mentions have been made of the central role that forests play.

It is the view of some that even in the Kyoto Protocol, one of the most talked-about multi-lateral environmental agreements in the world, forests were dealt with in a rather ad hoc fashion and ended up being included solely as a tree-planting techno-fix for offsetting fossil fuel-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Kyoto Protocol expires after 2012, and arguments are being made to ensure that any subsequent Protocol should emphasize the special role of forests in global climate change. In analyzing the forest-climate change nexus, some experts have concluded that forests emerge as a victim, part of the problem of and part of the solution to climate change.

Mr. Seidu who placed the issue in context, explained that the relationship between forests and climate change is complicated. ¦Forests are the largest terrestrial storehouse of carbon, but at the same time contribute about 20% to atmospheric carbon through deforestation and degradation. Therefore, he added, slowing the rate of deforestation could make a significant contribution to overall emission reduction. It was against this background that the side event on the Community of Practice on Forests and Climate Change in Africa was organized. Ghana's Deputy Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines with responsibility for Forestry, Andrew Agyei Yeboah led the Ghanaian delegation to the Session. In an interview, he admitted that the stakes are high as Africans we need to sit up and take advantage of any available opportunities, since the livelihoods of most of our people are dependent on healthy forests. His sentiments were shared by the Executive Secretary of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Nana Adu Nsiah, who was part of the Ghanaian delegation. He noted that climate change could alter ecosystems and vegetations in ways that could lead to a net exodus of animal species in particular from preferred habitats. Nana Adu Nsiah further noted that protected areas have the potential to reduce climate change. He therefore appealed to all Ghanaians and local communities in particular to support government's efforts at maintaining such places.

They lauded the WWF-WARPO proposal and pledged to support its successful implementation.

Author: Ama Kudom-Agyemang

Wood carving industry under threat

2008-02-15

These came to light on Wednesday at the inception workshop on Alternative Carving Wood for Sustainable Livelihood (ACWSL) held at the Aburi Industrial Centre (AIC) in the Eastern Region. It was organized by the West Africa Regional Programme Office (WARPO) of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The AIC is the largest of four wood carving centres in Ghana, housing an estimated 1,300 of the nation's 3,500 carvers. Kumasi 1,200, Accra 550 and Takoradi 450 follow in that order.

Wood carving is considered a very important part of the handicraft industry in Ghana. In 2004, handicraft exports were in excess of $2.3 million. This shot up significantly to $18.9 million the following year though Ghanaian carvings struggled to compete in quality with those from Eastern Africa, notably Kenya.

There is, however, apprehension over the sustainability of export levels because of the fast pace at which traditional tree species are being depleted in Ghana's forests. To arrest the situation, WWF-WARPO is embarking on the ACWSL project with funding from the French Embassy. The project is aimed at identifying and developing suitable and sustainable alternative carving wood sources by facilitating a shift from the use of the fast diminishing but preferred species to suitable fast growing species such as neem tree.

It is expected that the project will lead to the sensitization of stakeholders in the carving industry about alternative wood sources and the benefits accruing from such options and subsequent adoption of farm forestry for neem trees by land owners. In addition, the capacity of wood carvers and marketers will be enhanced through training and demonstration of best practices; business plans for wood carving cooperative groups will be developed and implemented; and global market linkages will be pursued to enhance capacity to access the global wood market.

Mr. Abraham Baffoe, WARPO Forest Programme Leader, in an address enumerated several on-going forest projects in the West African sub-region. One of them is the ACWSL project which is being pursued to ensure that resource needs for the industry are within sustainable limits. He also mentioned the Global Forest & Trade Network project which is to improve forest management and eliminate illegal logging using certification in Ghana. Mr. Baffoe described illegal logging as a threat to the sustainability of forest resources. Similarly, Mr. Mustapha Seidu, Assistant Forest Officer, WWF-WARPO pointed out the dangers of forest depletion, noting, currently, deforestation in Ghana is estimated at 65,000 hectares per year.

This, he noted, calls for action because the species are almost getting finished and the carvers will tell you that. Besides, consumers of carved wood products are becoming increasingly concerned about the source of the raw material and will only buy carved products that originate from sustainably managed or certified forests.This is an indication that buyers are becoming more and more environmentally sensitive to the impact of the wood carving industry on the natural forests. Thus, Mr. Seidu has no qualms that supporting the wood carving industry to ensure reliable sources of raw materials, improve skills, and better access to the global market will help to save the forest, guarantee the livelihood of wood carvers and therefore alleviate their poverty.

This will put to rest apprehensions that the livelihood of wood carvers could be jeopardized if buyers begin to boycott products that cannot be proved to originate from raw materials derived from certified sustainably managed sources. According to Mr. Emmanuel Abbey, President of AIC, the centre was founded in 1989 by citizens of Aburi as a means of livelihood. Since then, many non-governmental organisations have approached the centre with promises to help members address challenges but these promises have often remained mere rhetoric. He therefore urged the WWF-WARPO to keep to its promises to ensure the realization of the objectives of the ACWSL.

Author: By Frederick Asiamah