Govt Asked To Protect Mangroves Ecosystem

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Country Director of SNV, Madam Childress watering a seed for the restoration of the mangrove.
Country Director of SNV, Madam Childress watering a seed for the restoration of the mangrove.

The Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), a non-governmental organisation, has called on government to step up efforts towards the protection and rehabilitation of mangroves ecosystem in the country.

Country Director of SNV, Madam Childress watering a seed for the restoration of the mangrove.
Country Director of SNV, Madam Childress watering a seed for the restoration of the mangrove.

Mr Enno Heijndermans, SNV Renewable Energy Sector Leader made the call at Kwalakpoloyom, a suburb of Ada during the inaugural ceremony of an eight-hectare plantation of mangrove and woodlots.

He expressed concern about the high deforestation rates in Ghana, especially mangrove forest depletion along the coastal wetlands.

He said mangrove restoration and alternative woodlot plantations are integral part of the SNV programmes apart from Improved Fish Smoking.

?Mangroves that are so valuable are rapidly being depleted by identified threats such as urbanisation and wood collection for energy production, ?Mr Heijndermans noted.

He said mangrove ecosystems serve as sea defence and habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species by providing breeding grounds for some fishes and crabs.

Giving statistics, Mr Heijndermans said in 1980 Ghana has 181-kilometre mangrove forests but this has been reduced to 72.4 kilometres, which he described as unfortunate.

He said noticing the importance of mangrove ecosystem to the livelihood of the coastal communities urgent actions must be taken by stakeholders to reverse the worrying deforestation trend.

Madam Amanda Childress, Country Director of SNV praised the chiefs and people of Kwalakpoloyom for taking their destiny into their hands by approaching SNV for support in restoring the mangrove forest in the community.

She assured the people that the degraded plantation by sea erosion would be restored and protected.

Madam Childress expressed gratitude to the Wildlife Division for providing technical advice in setting up the plantation.

The SNV used the occasion to launch ?Ban the Coal Pots? an improved initiative of household cooking solution in Ghana called ?Gyapa Stoves? and ?Philip Stoves? to replace the locally manufactured coal pots in the community.

About 100 of the stoves were given out for free to the people to substitute the local coal pots.

Nene Amanatey Akoto, Chief of Kwalakpoyom expressed gratitude to SNV for the assistance in restoring the eight-hectare mangrove.

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