Alfred Kwaku Duah Nyamekye, Director of Samatex Timber and Plywood Complex, has called for effective collaboration between the government and key stakeholders to help protect the country’s forest resources.

He said the sustainable management of the forest ecology, its economic resource and the social setting was vital not only for the socio-economic development of Ghana but also the improvement in the livelihoods future generations.

Mr Nyamekye made the call at the 23rd annual general meeting of the Ghana Institute of Foresters, at Fumesua in the Ejisu Municipality.

The meeting was on the theme: “The Socio-Economic Potentials of the Ghana Timber Industries, The role of Foresters.”

It aimed to engage foresters and key stakeholders in the industry to find ways to stop negative practices such as illegal mining operations, illegal chainsaw and others to help conserve and sustain the forest to increase the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Mr Nyamekye stressed the need for Foresters to act professionally to help protect the forest and the wildlife resources to enable it to provide the needed opportunities that would ensure growth.

Dr Stephen Adu-Bredu, Principal Research Scientist at the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), reiterated the Institute’s commitment to undertaking demand-driven research, build capacities and promote the application of technologies for sustainable management of the country’s forest resources for the benefit of all.

He said mankind’s survival depended on biodiversity hence unsustainable utilization of natural resources could lead to the loss of biodiversity and contribute to the pandemic risk factor.

“We need nature than nature needs us. Therefore, there is the need to make a proactive advocacy role on the conservation of our natural forest ecosystem other than that, posterity will judge us,” he emphasized.

Prof. Samuel Kingsley Oppong, National President, Ghana Institute of Foresters, said the Institute was committed to ensuring that the use of forest resources impacted positively on communities.