Accra, Aug. 14, GNA - Government will next month initial an agreement with the European Union (EU) to ensure that timber is produced in accordance with the existing forestry laws and policies in order to minimize or eliminate illegally produced timber to the EU market. The Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) would further enhance the Forestry Commission's work of striving to address the causes of deforestation and degradation of the country's forest resources. Professor Nii Ashie Kotey, Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, announced this at a two-day workshop on Aligning Forest Governance with Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).

The workshop, which would address issues relating to forest and climate change and create awareness among stakeholders on a range of issues related to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, is being attended by participants from Ghana and Liberia. Prof. Kotey noted that initialling of the VPA, which would be done prior to parliamentary ratification, would ensure that Ghana's forests would be there for years to come as well as combat illegal logging. Commenting on the REDD programme, he said there was the need for stakeholders, including the Environmental Protection Agency, to design a readiness plan for the country which would guide the formulation of the national strategy.

"Greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in developing countries today contribute approximately 20 per cent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions," he said. Prof Kotey said as a result of illegal human activities, large scale deforestation and forest degradation had been occurring for several decades in our forest areas in spite of policy measures to combat the problem.

He called for the need to build national capacity to monitor forest cover changes and the associated changes in carbon stocks in order to make REDD work effectively. Prof. Kotey expressed the hope that participants would come out with practical ways of addressing such issues prior to implementing the REDD programme in 2012 when it becomes operational under the climate convention.

Mr Chris Beeko, National Coordinator of the VPA, explained that the agreement would fully complement the REDD programme since both were concerned with forests, people, reducing degradation and illegal logging.

He said under the VPA all stakeholders had crucial roles to play to ensure successful implementation of the programme and noted that clear opportunities existed for REDD to build on the VPA governance platform as well as link up with its policy initiatives. Mr Robert Bamfo, from the Forestry Commission, giving a review of Ghana deforestation situation pointed out that harvesting wood for fuel purposes, illegal chain-saw operation, encroachment of forests by farmers and hunt ing were major causes of degradation and deforestation in Ghana.

He said currently only 1.9 per cent of the country's forest was in excellent condition.