The Department of Environment, governance, and Sustainable Development of the School for Development Studies at the University of Cape Coast has organized a public lecture on accelerating land restoration, draught resilience, and desertification progress to mark World Environment Day.
The day was used to re-echo commitments to environmental preservation.
Delivering a keynote address, Mr. Isaac Charles Acquah, the Director and Head of the Natural Resources Department at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicated that though Ghana is yet to get to the desertification stage, the nation experiences land degradation frequently.
He said in addressing these, the EPA has enrolled various initiatives in environmental restoration, including the implementation of agroforestry and willow projects.
He, therefore, underscored the importance of World Environment Day emphasizing the critical role of tree planting in fostering sustainable land and water management practices among farmers.
“…Normally when you mention restoration, people think it’s about tree growing. Restoration goes beyond tree growing. Tree growing is one aspect of restoration. Sustainable land and water management practices, being done by farmers, are all restoration activities. Establishing green vegetation is also part of the restoration activities,” he revealed.
World Environment Day is held annually on June 5 with millions across the world led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) celebrating it annually.
This year, the theme is focusing on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.
Head of the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Ernest Kofi Amankwa Afrifa, highlighted the importance of individual responsibility in environmental conservation.
He emphasized the need to take a proactive stance, advocating for the integration of environmental awareness into every aspect of daily life to prevent degradation.
“We need to work towards our attitudes, ensuring that we have an ecocentric attitude. An attitude that will put the environment at the center of everything that we do. Now, if you are able to do that, we will not be even talking about degradation. For us to start thinking about restoration.”
“Let us protect what we have and then move on with the management of our environment,” he said.
Source: Comfort Sweety Hayford/ATLFMNEWS
