By Fatima Anafu-Astanga
Bongo, June 2, GNA- Tree Aid, under the Bongo Afforestation Project, has planned to plant 150 thousand trees of various local seedlings in 20 communities in the Upper East Region this year.
Mr Jonathan Nyaaba, Director of Tree Aid who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency also lamented on the long period of dry weather conditions experienced in the region and urged all to take part in protecting the environment and reverse climate change impact.
Aside the target of 150, 000 trees Tree Aid is to support the implementation of the Green Ghana Project as its contribution to the Green Ghana agenda of Government.
He indicated that a request to the Forestry Commission (FC) have been made for supply of trees to be distributed to beneficiaries in the communities to plant and protect them.
“It is for everybody to help because climate change impact is on all of us and we are experiencing drought because it is not raining and therefore everybody should contribute to mitigate the impact and reverse the trend.
“We need to find ways to reverse things in view of the erratic rainfall pattern through adaptation strategies to survive in the dry weather condition”. He urged.
Responding to how stray animals were left to feed on the young trees , he advised all Rearers to find ways to prevent this so that everyone will reap the benefits of a green environment ,especially where the upper East Region is suffering most in climate variability.
He also urged communities directly under the project to double up efforts and acknowledged efforts women did in the protection of trees under the afforestation project.
“Water bodies are drying up, underground recharge is slow and women have to compete for the same boreholes available which do not produce enough.
To reduce the challenge on women, he said under the project, tricycles had been supplied to the women to mitigate the challenge of searching for water for use and watering their trees.
In 2020 tree Aid under the Bongo afforestation project planted 55,000 trees along the Vea dam to protect the edges of the dam from siltation with support from Bleu Deal project.
GNA.
