Declassifying Achimota Forest with an Executive Instrument Has No Effect – CLOGSAG.
The new Executive Instrument (E.I.) that declassifies portions of the Achimota Forest Reserve “has no effect”, the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has said.
The Association said the (Cessation of Forest Reserve) Instrument, 2022 (EI 144) “has not got any power to declassify any forest reserve,” arguing that it was only Parliament that had the power to do so.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Dr Isaac Bampoe-Addo, the Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, said per the dictates of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), it was only Parliament that could approve the rezoning or declassification of a forest reserve and not the President.
“"The E.I. that was issued has no effect." It has no authority to declassify any forest reserve, and we want to emphasize that it is the responsibility of Parliament to ensure that this responsibility is met," he said.
The E.I. 144, which was gazetted on April 19, 2022, states that portions of the Achimota Forest will no longer be recognized as a forest reserve as of May 1, 2022 – a move that has been widely condemned.
According to Section 93 (1) of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act of 2016, "Where a person seeks to change the zoning of the whole or part of a piece of land, that person shall apply in writing to the District Spatial Planning Committee of the district t, to which the change relates, in the form prescribed in the zoning regulations and planning standards."
According to Section 93(4), "... the change of use or re-zoning of public space shall be subject to Parliament's approval."
"Public Space" is defined in Section 198 of the Act as "a generally open area accessible to and used by the public, including resource lands, urban utility space, riparian buffer zones, natural park areas, forests, urban parks, recreational areas, infrastructure right of way, and areas of cultural or historical interest."
Mr. Bampoe-Addo stated that the Association was considering meeting with the Speaker of Parliament to officially bring the issue to his attention.
"Parliament should play its role and do the work that is expected of it," he said.
Since its publication, the E.I. 144 has been met with strong opposition, with civil society organizations working in the environment and climate change expressing concern that the move could open the forest to all forms of development, jeopardizing the area's integrity as a forest reserve.
According to the government, the intention was to reforest and develop the Achimota Forest into a true forest reserve to serve Accra and the people of Ghana.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0