The Ghana Red Cross Society, GRCS has launched a tree planting project to deal with climate change and disaster risk management in the Upper West Region.
The project dubbed “Pan-Africa Tree Planting and Care” will benefit 15 communities in 3 districts in the region.
The Upper West Regional Chairman of the GRCS, Mr James Kuusana Donkor, speaking at the launch in Wa on Monday, said the project has global importance in preserving the natural environment which was fast depleting.
He expressed optimism that the project would liaise well into the government’s Green Ghana initiative for better intergenerational prospects.
He called for the support of traditional leaders, members of the beneficiary communities, and all stakeholders for the project to succeed.
The Secretary General of the GRCS, Mr Kofi Addo, said the project was launched in Upper West Region because the threat of desertification was a looming reality in northern Ghana, making it imperative to undertake disaster risk and climate change adaptation initiatives in the area.
He said such negative impacts of human activities as charcoal burning have led to a huge loss of Ghana’s forest land which is not compensated for in any way by way of reforestation.
He said the pilot phase of the project will plant a total of 150,000 trees with each beneficiary community planting 1,000 trees.
He said the trees to be planted are multipurpose with economic value aimed to largely serve environmental and climate protection needs as well as livelihood on the side.
He added that the trees would not just be planted but nurtured and grown to maturity.
Traditional rulers at the forum pledged support for the project in their localities.
The project received support from the Italian Red Cross through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
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