…agric, fuel wood, mining et al cited for loss
By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE
Approximately 77,400 hectares (77.4 kha), represents the amount of forest cover loss across the country last year, the Global Forest Watch (GFW) has indicated. This loss, according to the GFW, is equivalent to 46.8 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
The report emphasized that these emissions, which are released into the atmosphere, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, are a major contributor to climate change as its greenhouse gas that traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere.
Primary drivers for the loss
The report ranked the primary drivers of deforestation in the country to include agricultural expansion, fuel wood harvesting, mining, and logging. These activities, the GFW indicated, are often linked to population growth, lack of access to sustainable energy, and the expansion of the country’s gold mining industry. In 2020, Ghana had 7.31 Mha (million hectares) of natural forest, extending over 31 percent of its land area.
However, the report indicated that the total forest area in Ghana in 2021 was nearly 80,000 square kilometers, which had expanded since 2016 when it was approximately 79,200 square kilometers. Indeed, the significant forest cover loss, has seen a 24 percent decrease since 2000 and a 1.64 million hectare loss between 2001 and 2023. According to GFW, significant increase in forest loss occurred in 2022, with 18,000 hectares of primary forest lost, a 70 percent increase from 2021, making it the biggest increase in forest loss of any country in recent years.
Out of the top three regions which were responsible for 62 percent of all tree cover loss between 2001 and 2024 per GFW, the Western Region had the most tree cover loss at 432kha compared to an average of 110 kha. This was followed by the Ashanti region with 411kha, Eastern 246kha, Central 227kha, and Western North with 164kha loss within the period. Within the same period, the country lost 156kha of humid primary forest, making up 9.1 percent of its total tree cover loss. Total area of humid primary forest in Ghana decreased by 14 percent in this time period.
