Government must pay attention to biodiversity convention- Youth Action

Mr Edward Amankwah Executive Director of Youth Action International, an Accra based Civil Society on Monday urged government to pay attention to the implementation of biological diversity conventions. �Government needs to enact the necessary regulations, provide resource and straighten the structures to halt degradation and deforestation and ensure the sustainable use and conservation of the biodiversity,� he said. Mr Amankwah gave the advise in an interview with Ghana News Agency at the on-going World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference. The event is being attended by about 1,500 delegates from more than 50 countries including Ghana, to share stories, knowledge, cultural experiences and ideas on how to better manage ecosystems, protect the environment and support sustainable livelihoods. WIN seeks to improve on the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of natural resources, improve social cohesion and increase economic opportunities and alleviate poverty. Mr Amankwah said experience being shared at the conference by countries from East Africa including Kenya and South Africa point to the fact that Ghana had done less in the protection of its land and sea resources. �I think we are joking as a country looking at the continuous depletion of our forest reserve, illegal mining and indiscriminate burning,� he said. Mr Amankwah called on government to put in place the necessary measures to rectify the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from the Utilisation to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity and it provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources. Mr Amankwah commended government for the recent appointment of a five-member inter-ministerial task force on illegal mining. He said the move was a step in the right direction, since it would help curb the menace of illegal mining . Mr Amankwah suggested the need for government to halt the issuing of mining license.