Passage of Wildlife Resources Bill progressive — Jinapor
After 14 years of remaining a draft, Parliament has finally passed the Wildlife Resources Management Bill, 2022.
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The bill, when assented to by the President, will become a major boost to the sustainable management of wildlife resources and the preservation of protected areas.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, described the new law passed last Friday as revolutionary because it would bring the country’s wildlife law in conformity with existing policies in the sector.
He said it also provided for the implementation of international conventions on wildlife to which the country was a signatory.
The minister told the Daily Graphic that the eventual passage of the bill marked "a momentous milestone in the effective and efficient management of wildlife resources in the country."
"The bill provides for a new management structure to give legal backing to the involvement of local communities in wildlife management through the creation of Community Resources Management Areas (CREMAs) and provide higher penalties and sanctions regime for wildlife offences, deterrent enough to protect our wildlife resources," he added.
Context
The Wildlife Resources Management Bill, 2022, seeks to revise and consolidate all laws relating to wildlife and protected areas.
It was previously laid before the fifth, sixth and seventh Parliaments, before it was eventually passed by the Eighth Parliament last Friday.
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Currently, wildlife and protected areas are regulated by the Wild Animals Preservation Act, 1961 (Act 43), the Wildlife Conservation Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 685) and the Wildlife Reserves Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 710).
Mr Jinapor said those legislations, which were enacted over 50 years ago, were not in tune with current international best practices for wildlife protection and management.
Again, he said the legislations did not provide a proper legal framework for the implementation of the Forest and Wildlife Policy, 2012, the Forestry Master Plan (2016-2036) and other national and international frameworks that guided sustainable resource management.
The minister added that the existing law did not clearly define the aims and objectives of wildlife management and the various categories of protected areas.
He said it also lacked deterrent sanctions for wildlife offences.
Paradigm shift
The minister said the current bill that has been passed addressed the loopholes and also provided for the implementation of several international wildlife conventions to which Ghana was a signatory.
He said some of the notable conventions were the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitats (RAMSAR), 1971; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 1973; the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (BONN), 1979; as well as several indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mr Jinapor said he was confident that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who had personally shown keen interest in this Bill, would assent to it once it was submitted to him for it to become law.
"The Lands Ministry is committed to the effective implementation of this piece of legislation, for the efficient and progressive preservation and management of the wildlife resources of our country, in the spirit of transparency, anchored on integrity and utmost good faith, for the benefit of the Ghanaian people," he stressed.