A Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Frank Ackah, says Ghana’s reforestation efforts must go beyond tree planting to focus on restoring entire ecosystems, including wildlife, particularly in areas affected by illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview with The High Street Journal, Dr. Ackah said large-scale environmental degradation caused by illegal mining has not only removed forest cover but also disrupted habitats and food sources that previously sustained wildlife populations.
He explained that many affected forest zones can no longer naturally attract wildlife because key ecological components, including fruit-bearing trees and natural food sources, have been destroyed.
According to him, reforestation efforts that focus solely on timber species are insufficient to rebuild degraded landscapes, arguing that ecological recovery must include species that can help restore animal populations.
“In a way of conserving these animals, or taking these animals back, or encouraging them to be in the forest, we have to also add the food trees in whatever trees that we are planting,” he said.
Dr. Ackah noted that fruit-bearing trees such as mango and avocado could play a role in restoring ecological balance by providing food sources that attract wildlife back into forest areas.
He further linked the problem to illegal mining activities, which he said have led to widespread destruction of forest reserves, making it difficult for biodiversity to recover naturally.
Beyond tree species selection, he stressed that maintenance and community involvement remain critical to the success of reforestation programmes, warning that planted trees often fail when left unattended.
Dr. Ackah is therefore calling for a shift in Ghana’s environmental restoration strategy, from a narrow focus on tree planting to a broader ecosystem recovery approach that includes wildlife return, biodiversity protection, and community participation.
