Ghanaians urged to cultivate tree planting habit to sustain environment

A-Rocha Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that works around biodiversity conservation, has called on Ghanaians to cultivate the habit of tree planting to help preserve the country’s forest zones and vegetation cover.

The practice will ensure that Ghana’s natural environmental resources are not depleted to affect human survival.

Mr Theopilus Boakye Yiadom, Project Manager A-Rocha Ghana, made the call during a tree planting exercise to mark this year’s Green Ghana Day at Bunso in the Abuakwa South Municipality.

He said this year’s exercise should not be in futility and encouraged every Ghanaian to make it a point to plant at least a tree in a year and nurture it to grow.

He said people were logging trees legally and illegally because of the economic value and called on society to ensure more trees planted to replace lost trees for posterity.

“However, looking at the trend now trees logged are not replaced and it is affecting the very survival of humans living on the environment.”

Mr Yiadom noted that for the government’s initiative of planting five million trees countrywide to become a reality, Ghanaians should own the initiative and make tree planting a regular habit.

“Because trees are beneficial to us as a people and due to the changes in the environment, it will be imperative to plant more trees to refresh the environment,” he said.

“It is through trees that human beings can enjoy adequate oxygen to survive.”

Mr Emmanuel Arhin, a resident, who joined the exercise, expressed happiness about the move and urged all Ghanaians to join forces to fully support the Green Ghana project.

He said the survival of humans was based on the number of trees available, therefore “we cannot watch the forest reserves deplete.”