Five Civil Society Organisations sue gov’t over Timber logging

Five Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are praying an Accra high court to restrain the Lands Ministry and Forestry Commission from proceeding with plans to declassify globally significant biodiversity areas.

The CSOs are seeking a perpetual injunction to prevent any transactions, contracts, or undertakings that grant commercial timber rights in these areas.

The organization’s primary concern is the unlawful issuance of Timber Utilisation Contracts without Parliamentary ratification.

The organisations are; Arocha Ghana, Tropenbos Ghana, Nature and Development Foundation, Civic Response and Ecocare Ghana.

In the suit sighted by TV3, the groups want a declaration that declassification of Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas is unlawful, declaration that issuance of contracts without parliamentary ratification is unlawful.

The suit labels the Office of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission as defendants in the matter.

A Rocha Ghana argues that this practice is illegal and undermines the country’s environmental protection efforts.

Also, the CSOs want an order for perpetual injunction restraining Lands Ministry and Forestry Commission from any transaction involving granting timber licenses in listed areas and an order restraining Lands ministry & Forestry Commission from further declassifying Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas.

“A Declaration that award of Timber Utilisation Contracts for logging in the above-mentioned GSBAs as listed in paragraph 14 of the Statement of Claim without following statutory procedure for the grant of timber rights is unlawful.

“A Declaration that issuance of the Timber Utilisation Contracts in respect of the above-mentioned GSBAs without Parliamentary ratification is unlawful.

“An Order for perpetual Injunction restraining the Minster of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission from entering any transaction, contract, or undertaking involving granting a right or concession to exploit commercial timber rights in the abovementioned GSBAs.

“An Order directed at restraining the Minster of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission from further declassifying Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs) as logging areas,” the suit stated.

Background

According to the CSOs, government in adherence to the directive principles of state policy on environmental protection, signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in June, 1992 during the landmark United Nations Conference on Environment and Development known as the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Under the convention, some biologically significant areas in Ghana were designated as Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs), which are meant to be preserved at all costs, including prohibiting any form of exploitation of resources found therein.

In furtherance of the Convention, government to demonstrate its commitment to uphold its constitutional duty ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in August, 1994.

According to the Groups, by a letter dated December 7, 2023, the Ministry Of Land and Natural Resources applied to the Forestry Commission for the grant of a Timber Utilization Contracts over Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs) for low-impact logging on a joint management basis.

Per the suit the letter requested the Forestry Commission to reclassify Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas in Ghana to permit logging. The letter sought permission to grant Timber Utilization Contracts in the Subri River Forest Reserve and Krokosua Hills Forest Reserves, which are designated as GSBAs.

“That in a further letter dated 22^nd August 2024, responding to a request for information, the Forestry Commission confirmed that it had redesignated thirty GSBAs as timber protection areas for low-impact logging,” the suit added.

Source:onuaonline.com