How an app is combatting illegal deforestation in Ghana
Making space for farmland is a key driver of deforestation, as are illegal sales of protected timber. Sustainable forestry advocates in Ghana monitor logging with the help of an app and are raising local people's awareness about the natural resource.
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00:00The scene of the crime, where perpetrators began secretly chopping down trees, but were then chased away.
00:09Kevin Eninkwe and Frank Adadie want to protect Ghana's forests, and they've succeeded here in the Ashanti region.
00:18People came in to mine illegally.
00:22And it's a report from one of the monitors that actually brought about us stopping them from mining.
00:29And we even realized that this mining activity, the Minerals Commission knew nothing about it.
00:34So when we got the Minerals Commission involved, they actually did the needed stuff from them, and this came to a halt.
00:43So we could see that it's only a portion that got destroyed, and the remainings are still there.
00:50So at least all the alerts are very, very useful.
00:53Frank Adadie lives close by. Back then, he raised the alarm.
00:58An app on his cell phone lets him report illegal logging and forest fires.
01:05The report is sent directly to the headquarters of Civic Response Ghana.
01:10The NGO started the monitoring program.
01:13It then informs the authorities so that they can respond directly.
01:18This app is in two phases, or it has two interfaces.
01:22We have the web interface and that of the mobile interface.
01:25The mobile interface is basically for reporting forest disturbances.
01:30And that is the one the community monitors use.
01:34Yao Asiti also lives in the Ashanti region, in the Abuabuja community, not far from the Kanwe forest.
01:43He grew up here, and he and his family live from the forest, where they also grow vegetables and palm oil trees.
01:52We used to be able to hunt and gather animal products in the woods.
01:58The destruction of our forest has deprived us of all these things.
02:03This has had a negative effect on our livelihoods.
02:07Rain doesn't used to be a problem either, but now there is hardly enough rain for our crops.
02:13And people are cutting down our trees with chainsaws.
02:17They are burning them to make charcoal.
02:19So we are really suffering.
02:25He has joined the Forest Conservationists to try to put a stop to it.
02:30He attends Civic Response Ghana's monthly meetings.
02:34The group is now active throughout the country's forest conservation areas.
02:39Kevin Kwe and Frank Adade are always joined by newcomers who live near the woods.
02:45They explain how the app works and talk about what else each person can do to protect the forest.
02:55After they taught us how to report these incidents,
02:58there was a significant reduction in some of these negative human activities in this community.
03:07Such measures are long overdue as Ghana continues to lose forest cover.
03:12The Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO, estimates
03:16the West African country has lost around 20% of its forest areas in the last 20 years.
03:23When you talk about the regulatory agencies like the Forestry Commission,
03:27they have some limitations.
03:30For example, in terms of logistics,
03:33to even be able to monitor what is going on in the forest.
03:37The forest is vast, some areas are difficult to access.
03:40So the forest guards, range supervisors and other officers of the Forestry Commission,
03:45they have these challenges of movement.
03:48The non-governmental organization's app could become key to protecting the forest.
03:55The rate at which these things used to occur has reduced.
04:00And then it has also increased communities' interest or willingness to protect forests.
04:07Because through this process, communities' attention has been drawn to a series of benefits
04:12that they stand to gain.
04:17Yaw Asite will definitely keep campaigning to save the trees.
04:22After all, he and his family only have this one forest from which to feed themselves.
04:28As for everyone who lives near Ghana's woodlands,
04:31protecting the forest also secures their own lives.