By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Numerso (Ash), May 21, GNA – Dr Hugh C.A. Brown, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, has underscored the urgent need for increased recruitment, improved logistics, continuous capacity building, enhanced welfare packages, and stronger institutional support for frontline forest protection personnel.
He said as of the beginning of 2026, the Resource Guard gap exceeded 2,500 officers, stressing that the scale of illegal activities across the country demanded more personnel, technical expertise, and operational resources.
“Many of our frontline staff are overstretched, with limited officers covering vast forest landscapes under very difficult conditions.
“Our officers continue to demonstrate commitment and courage despite these challenges with some risking their lives daily in the course of protecting Ghana’s forest heritage” he lamented.
Dr Brown was speaking at the handing over and inauguration of forest protection camps and checkpoint accommodation facilities for officers at Numerso, in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
He said data from the Forestry Commission and environmental monitoring institutions indicated that thousands of hectares of forest reserves had been degraded by illegal mining and unauthorised logging activities over the years.
Illegal logging and mining, he noted, continued to threaten forest reserves, water bodies, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of millions of Ghanaians.
Several major forest reserves, particularly in the Ashanti, Western, Western North, Ahafo, and Bono regions, had suffered severe destruction as a result.
Beyond the depletion of forest resources, these activities had polluted rivers, destroyed wildlife habitats, weakened ecosystem resilience, and threatened national water security, thereby necessitating more frontline forest personnel.
Dr Brown explained that for decades, forest protection in Ghana largely depended on a traditional patrol system, where forest guards travelled periodically from nearby communities to monitor reserves.
However, he said the nature of illegal activities had evolved, with perpetrators now using sophisticated equipment, including heavy-duty machines, chainsaws, motorbikes, advanced communication systems, and operating within highly organised networks.
“These developments have necessitated the establishment of forest protection and checkpoint camps to ensure a stronger, more permanent, and proactive strategy for safeguarding the country’s forests,” he said.
The establishment of the facilities forms part of a strategic partnership between the Government of the United Kingdom, through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Government of Ghana, through the Forestry Commission, under the UK-Ghana Forest Governance Partnership programme.
As part of broader forest governance reforms, Dr Brown said a multi-stakeholder working group had been inaugurated to spearhead the development of an enhanced forest protection strategy.
He expressed optimism that with strong collaboration between stakeholders and local communities, Ghana could restore degraded areas, protect remaining forest reserves, and preserve its natural heritage for future generations.
GNA
Edited by Yussif Ibrahim/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Florence Afriyie Mensah
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