Greater Accra REGSEC declares Dodowa, Pinkwai forests security zone
The Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has declared the Dodowa Forest, located in the Shai Osudoku District, and the Pinkwai Forest Reserve at Katamansu in the Kpone-Katamansu District, security zones with immediate effect.
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Consequently, the Security Council has directed that all human activities, especially estate development, in the two forest reserves must cease.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, who made the declaration after a crunch meeting with the security agencies in Accra last Friday, stressed that "REGSEC will deal ruthlessly with anyone who flouts this directive."
The directive followed a complaint by the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs (GARHC) that the two forests of historical significance were being destroyed by encroachers.
Context
The Dodowa Forest, which is a notable tourist site in the country, hosts the Tsenku Waterfall. Its historical significance stems from the fact that the forest was the battlefield of the Kantamanso war which ended in 1826.
However, a greater portion of the forest has been wiped out by estate developers and other human activities. The Katamansu Historical Forest, otherwise known as Pinkwai Forest, also has historical relevance because it was the field for the final battle between the Asantes and Ga people in 1826.
Currently, more than a third of the 500-acre sacred forest has been destroyed by estate developers who use bulldozers to clear it.
Action
Mr Titus-Glover said given the fact that the two forest reserves were of immense historical significance, every step would be taken to protect them from further destruction while efforts were made to restore them.
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“We understand that those who are encroaching on the Dodowa forest are from Obosomase in the Eastern Region. We cannot allow this to continue, and we will stop at nothing to protect this resource,” he said.
He stressed that the Dodowa and the Katamansu Pinkwai forests were landmarks for the Ga-Dangme people, and that they needed to be protected. The minister asked persons who were laying claim to lands in the forest reserve to produce verifiable documents to prove their case.
“The Shai Stool will also produce their documents so that we can work with the Lands Commission to settle this issue because there is a clear boundary between the Eastern and Greater Accra regions,” he said.
He added that REGSEC was mandated to protect lives and property, “so we do not want any clashes between residents of Dodowa and people from Obosomase”.
Reforestation
The minister also said REGSEC would liaise with the Forestry Commission to develop a roadmap for restoring the degraded portions of the two forest reserves. "We want to ensure that more trees are planted in these forest reserves to bring them back to life," he said.
Background
At an emergency meeting between the GARHC and the Greater Accra REGSEC last Thursday, the acting President of the GARHC, Prof. Nii Oboade Notse Odaifio Welentsi III, called on the government to take immediate steps to halt the destruction of the historical Dodowa Forest by real estate developers.
Prof. Nii Welentsi III also stressed the need for a full-scale investigation to unmask the encroachers on the forest.
He added that the Dodowa Forest was an important biodiversity resource of historical significance, and as such must not be pillaged by "unscrupulous elements".