Hunters and traders at Anyinam in the East Akyem District in the Eastern Region have formed an association to protect various animal species from extinction.

The Wild Life Division of the Forestry Commission initiated the move to help in halting the alarming rate at which certain species of animals were been hunted for.

These were contained in a speech read on behalf of Professor Kasim Kassanga, Minister of Lands and Forestry, at a durbar to climax activities marking the 'close season' of the Wild Life at Anyinam.

The season is a provision under the Wildlife Conservation Regulations of 1971, which regulates the hunting of wildlife. During this period, which lasts from August 1 to December 1 each year, the hunting of wild animal apart from the grasscutter is illegal, since it serves as a breeding season for the animals.

Prof Kassanga cautioned hunters not to hunt during the 'close Season' in order to secure their own trade, since unrestricted hunting could lead to the extinction of species, which they relied on for their trade.

Prof Kassanga urged hunters to protect animals and sustain the trade in bushmeat, since it was a source of income for many families, market women, and chop bar operators among others.

He said the trade involved an estimated 300,000 people in the rural areas and about 75 per cent of Ghanaians depended largely on wildlife for protein. Prof Kassanga said unrestricted hunting was becoming a threat to food security in the country as well as the survival of some species.

He noted that inadequate enforcement of existing wildlife conservation regulations had resulted in the indiscriminate hunt for animals hence a decline in wildlife population.

Professor Kassanga said the Wild Life Division of the Forestry Commission lacked finance and personnel to adequately enforce laws. The Minister said efforts would be made to review wildlife laws to enable landowners and communities to own the wildlife on their lands and to be responsible for their conservation.

He urged District Assemblies, Traditional rulers as well as the law enforcement agencies to assist in bringing sanity into the bushmeat trade.

Mr Nicholas Ankudey, Executive Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, in a speech read on his behalf said Anyinam had become synonymous with the sale of wildlife, "including some protected species."

He said attempts to stop the practice in the past resulted in clashes between dealers in bushmeat and the law enforcement agencies. Mr Ankudey advised hunters and bushmeat dealers to assist the authorities in conserving animals.

"I would like all and sundry to look at wildlife as a renewable natural resource, which if managed well could bring a lot of benefits," he said. Mr Ankudey said there was the need to ensure a sustainable supply of bushmeat for both local as well as the foreign market. He appealed to the public not to buy meat from hunters who were selling game they had killed without observing the laid down regulations. Osagyefo Amoatia Oforipanin II, the Okyehene who chaired the function, said indiscipline was the main cause of the depletion of natural resources and appealed to Ghanaians to protect the environment for the future generation.

He said: ''Posterity would not forgive us if we denied them the opportunity to utilise and benefit from resources, which we had already enjoyed.''