Participants at a forum on restoration of shea parkland have called for increased public awareness on alternative trees for charcoal production to stop the increased felling of shea trees for fuel.
They further called for effective enforcement of by-laws on felling of shea trees for charcoal production as well as being used as fuel to help to sustainably restore shea parkland for the benefit of communities.
The forum was organised by the Global Shea Alliance and its partners as part of the Action for Shea Parkland project, which seeks to, among others, restore shea parklands and grow 10 million shea trees by the year 2030.
Participants included researchers, representatives of shea processors, civil society organisations, traditional authorities, and charcoal producers, among others.
The shea tree, found mostly in the northern part of the country, serves a lot of purposes, including economic, commercial, medicinal and in terms of environment, and climate change.
However, the shea tree is over-exploited for fuel and charcoal production, hence efforts to discourage the practice and restore the shea parkland for the benefit of society.
Professor Abukari Alhassan, Director, West African Centre for Shea Innovation and Research, University for Development Studies, who made a presentation at the forum in Tamale on “Alternative Trees for Firewood, Charcoal and Best Practices in Charcoal Production,” called for cultivation of other trees for charcoal production.
Professor Alhassan said, “trees like acacia that are fast growing, and can easily be cultivated” should be explored for firewood and charcoal production instead of the shea tree.
He expressed the need for vigorous public campaign activities to change people’s behaviour and convince them to adopt the alternative trees as their alternative sources of fuel.
Madam Safura Abdulai, Treasurer of Tungteiya Women’s Association, a shea butter processing group, said the shea tree was the major source of livelihood for many women in rural communities in the northern part of the country hence need to protect it.
She called on traditional leaders to enforce by-laws to deter people from felling the tree for charcoal and as fuel wood.
Mr Aaron Adu, Managing Director of Global Shea Alliance, emphasised, “Let us protect the existing stock of shea trees and plant new ones. I am hoping that in the next few years, we will be able to grow 10 million shea trees that are bearing fruits and we have been able to restore four to five million hectares of shea parklands.”
He called on all stakeholders in the sector to play their roles to sustainably restore shea parklands in the country.
GNA
