The Environmental Protection Agency would this year plant a total of 100,000 seedlings as part of the re-afforestation programme in the Upper West Region.

The species of trees to be planted mostly in the forest-depleted areas of the region are acacia, teak, mango and dawadawa.

Mr. Aster Nkegbe, Regional Programme officer of EPA, who said these to newsmen at Wa on Monday, stated that the exercise was meant to augment the one in which 38,000 trees were planted last year throughout the region.

He commended the regional co-ordinating council and traditional authorities for their immense support for the afforestation and bushfire programmes and appeal to district assemblies to step up educational campaign on the need for environmental preservation.

Mr. Nkegbe said a survey conducted to find out the performance of EPA on anti-bushfire programmes indicated that about 95 per cent of people in the region were aware of the dangers of bushfires as compared to 61 per cent in the previous year.

The EPA officer commended media practitioners for highlighting so much on the dangers of bushfires thereby changing the attitude of bush burners.

He called on the government to review the bushfire laws to allow for stiffer punishment against offenders.

Mr. Nkegbe said Lawra district was doing well in environmental programme followed by Jirapa/Lambussie, Wa, Sissala and Nadowli district in that order.

He said ignorance of the law on the part of people affected the fight against poor environmental practices and called on the media, district assemblies and other environmental related organisations to collaborate effectively with EPA to reverse the trend.