SANREC – The Biggest Environmental Coalition In Northern Ghana Outline Its Plans

One of the most serious environmental problems in Northern Ghana currently, is desertification – the result of several negative human activities such as indiscriminate tree felling, charcoal production, sand and gravel winning and bush burning among others.

Comprising of Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions, Northern Ghana constitutes about 50% of the total land mass of the entire country.

The 1952 forest inventory record of Ghana indicated that the total tree cover in the three regions was 41,600km2, representing 46% of the total land area of the North. However, by 1996 approximately 40% of the woodland was estimated to have been exposed to acute soil erosion and other human activities, meaning that about 38,000 hectares of tree cover are lost yearly in Northern Ghana.

With these negative developments, it is obvious that the Northern Savannah area (Northern Ghana) is constantly under threat of degradation and desertification due to unsustainable management of the environment and natural resources.

The situation is further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, increasing vulnerability of the people in the North. This is evidenced by residents mostly women and children walking long distances each day in search of water and firewood for their domestic use. Also, the drying up of rivers and gradual decline in agricultural production in recent years are adversely affecting household income levels and livelihoods.

It is therefore, not surprising the three regions of the North top the list of the poorest regions in Ghana.

Thus, as the issue of climate change or global warming now considered a topical subject for discussion at various levels of governmental and intergovernmental forums as well as international conferences such as the annual COP 17 by all nations across the globe, countries in Africa (the most affected by climate change effects) and CSOs are leaving no stone unturned to avert the worsening situation.

For this reason, Ghana as a developing nation and as part of the global efforts to combat desertification and climate change, has taken bold steps to avert some of the worse forms of disasters that these negative environmental problems could bring to her people especially Northerners.

For instance, the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP) has been designed to realize the objectives of the National Action Plan (NAP) for drought and desertification, while the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) has also been established to address the reduction of vulnerability due to the environmental degradation and disasters such as annual perennial flooding, drought, hunger, destruction of buildings, death of humans and domestic animals by floods, high temperatures, among others.

This effort by government is further complemented by some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that are into natural resources and environmental governance issues. They are vigorously and seriously advocating through workshops, stakeholder forums and community durbars to ensure that the government does the right thing with regards to fighting negative environmental practices mostly perpetuated by multinationals in the extractive industry (mining and petroleum sector) timber companies and individuals or groups by enforcing the country’s laws.

In Northern Ghana, the Savannah Natural Resources and Environmental Governance Coalition (SANREC), an initiative of the Northern Ghana Network for Development (NGND) has brought together CSOs working in the areas of environmental governance and natural resources management in the three regions of the North.

The Coalition aims at approaching environmental governance issues and natural resources management in a concerted manner, creating a platform to sharing experiences and undertaking joint advocacy efforts to address environmental and natural resources management problems in the three regions. SANREC currently comprises of over 40 CSOs from the three regions including the Media Advocates for Sustainable Environment (MASE).

Vision

“A voice for an environment that sustains the livelihoods of men and women of the Northern Savannah.”

Mission

“A vibrant environmental coalition advocating for sustainable environmental management practices through transparent and responsible networking for the benefit of men and women in the Northern Savannah of Ghana.”

Objectives

1. Strengthen the capacities of members on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance (NREG) policies and programmes.
2. Promote evidence based advocacy on NREG policies and programmes
3. Enhance participation and social inclusion in environment and natural resource governance.
4. Establish an effective and supportive platform for coalition members
5. Create a financially sustainable coalition.

Strategies

• Enhance coalition members’ knowledge in NREG policies and programmes
• Promote networking amongst members and other networks
• Establish a resource centre for the media, coalition members and the general public
• Conduct environmental and natural resource-based research
• Contribute to policy formulation and implementation
• Establish an alliance with the media to advocate NRE (Natural Resources and Environment) issues
• Formulate policy on gender, inclusion and participation
• Build capacities of vulnerable groups to participate in policy formulation and implementation
• Advocate for the inclusion and participation of the vulnerable groups and communities in the formulation of policies on the environment
• Institute a mechanism for the coalition’s engagement with duty bearers on NRE issues
• Create a forum for information and experience sharing among SANREC members
• Embark on rigorous fundraising for SANREC operations
• Establish a transparent and accountable financial management system

Meanwhile, a three (3) year strategic document that was validated recently at a day’s workshop identified some important stakeholders it hopes to work with. It named Traditional Authorities, women and girls, youth groups, farmer-based organizations, crop and livestock farmers, children and commercial charcoal and wood producers as its primary stakeholders.

The document also cited its secondary stakeholders as allies, collaborators and partners that have the potential to support its work. They comprise of farmer-based organizations and community-based organizations.

Others include Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), District Environmental Management Committees (DEMCs), National Disaster Management Organisations (NADMO), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wildlife Division, Forestry Commission, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Ghana Police Service, Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), University for Development Studies (UDS) and Animal Research Institute, Development Partners, Ministries and Agencies among others.