Ho, May 18, GNA - Togbe Atsridom V, Chief of Kpedze, has said rising population constituted a major threat to the sustainability of resources along the Atakora Mountain Ranges. He said the Range, stretching from Akwapim in the Eastern region through the Volta Region to Togo and Benin, could be stripped of its forest cover, rivers and flora and fauna soon by pressure from increased human activities.

Togbe Atsridom was speaking at the launch of the 93Atakora Ghana Project" with the major objective of promoting sustainable livelihood of the communities along the range. He said the consequences of the denuded mountain range called Weto in the Volta Region could be dire for those living along its fringes and beyond as herbs could become extinct.

The six-month project, under the aegis of the "Development Institute," an NGO, is being replicated in Togo and Benin under the sponsorship of some international environmental support Programmes. Miss Gloria Akaba, the Development Institute Project Officer, said modules being adopted to ensure behaviour change were based on studies of livelihood activities along the range. She said the project would cover the Logba, Bame, Kpedze, Juapong communities in the Volta Region. Mr Augustine Mayebi, an Agricultural Extension Officer in the Hohoe Municipality, expressed concern about the refusal of farmers to heed advice of experts on good and sustainable agricultural practices along the Range. Mr Samuel Dey, Executive Director of Greenglobe Society International, queried the indiscriminate sale of timber species along the range by people claiming to be landlords.