The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) has organised a day’s meeting to solicit input from stakeholders in biodiversity conservation.
These contributions from stakeholders will enable Ghana to develop a new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in fulfilment of the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Convention on Biological Diversity has the objective to develop national strategies for the conservation, and sustainable use of biological diversity.
It has three main goals – the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
The meeting put together by the MESTI with support from Tropenbos Ghana brought together officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Land Use and Spatial Planning Officers and some civil society organizations responsible for biodiversity conservation
.
Mrs Emelyne Wright-Hanson, Head of Biodiversity Unit, MESTI, speaking to journalists at Fumesua near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, explained that a team had already produced an initial draft on the NBSAP, but needed suggestions which could further help to improve the document.
This would help Ghana develop a paper representing the aspirations of the people in conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable use, promote access and benefit sharing from use of biological resources.
According to Mrs Wright-Hanson, MESTI was a beneficiary of the Global Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support project, which sought to fast-track readiness and early actions to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
This Framework, adopted in December 2022, is supposed to be implemented through to 2030, where Ghana will report on progress made.
She indicated that the Ministry would continue to engage more stakeholders across the country, seeking for suggestions that worked for Ghanaians to finalize an
d validate the document for submission to the Convention per its requirements.
The Ministry will complete this task by February 2026.
Source: Ghana News Agency