EU Team visits reforestation activities at Supon Forest Reserve, Ghana

EU Team visits reforestation activities at Supon Forest Reserve, Ghana

Ghana - 16 September, 2014

On August 6th the Breman-Anwiam Artisanal Milling Association had the opportunity to show their newly established plantation to a delegation from the EU. Mr. Ignacio Burol and Mr. Herve DelSol from the EU-delegation in Accra were very impressed with the achievement of the Association in replanting Ghana’s degraded forests and pledged EU’s support in combating deforestation and forest degradation in Ghana.

With support of the EU chainsaw milling project, the Breman-Anwiam Artisanal Milling Association, comprising 45 former illegal chainsaw operators, machine owners and lumber carriers, was allocated 128 hectares of the Supon Forest Reserve. In 2013 it replanted 25 hectares of this compartment using the Taungya system (agroforestry). For that purpose the association raised 30,000 seedlings of various tree species including Tectona grandis, Terminalia superba, Khaya species and Nauclea diderrichii. The tree seedlings were intercropped with various food crops including maize, plantain and cocoyam.

The forest area was allocated to them by the Forestry Commission in 2013 through facilitation of the EU chainsaw milling project. The project also supported the association in building their capacity in managing the plantation through trainings ranging from tree nursery and plantation establishment and management, group dynamics and leadership to conflict management and business plan preparation. The association was also supplied with nursery and plantation equipment including seeds, wellington boots, cutlasses, watering cans, overalls, water pumps and financial assistance for the construction of sheds at the nursery site.

The reforestation activities of the Breman-Anwiam Artisanal Milling Association will be continued as an alternative livelihoods strategy for people who were previously involved in illegal chainsaw milling under the guidance of TBI Ghana, partner of the EU chainsaw milling project.