The Takoradi Regional Office of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission would hold an eco-tour as part of the commemoration of this year’s World Wildlife Day (WWD), which falls on Thursday, March 3.
Other activities to commemorate the day include the launch of eco-tourism attraction sites, wild animals viewing, conservation education, eco-tourism exhibition and eco-tour at the Ankasa Conservation Area.
The day, which was proclaimed by the United Nations would be celebrated worldwide under the theme, “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration” and aims at creating awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants and their role in sustaining life on earth.
Madam Tracy Lydia Boadi, Tourism Officer at the Takoradi Regional Office of the Wildlife Division in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), explained that this year’s celebration comes as an opportunity to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that wildlife conservation provides to mankind.
She said as a regulator of the sector, the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission sought to work effectively with others to ensure the sustainable management and development of Ghana’s wildlife and their habitats to optimize their contribution to national socio-economic development.
She added that it would also position the Division to educate the public on wildlife crimes and their impact on socio-economic development among many others.
World Wildlife Day celebrates the beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and raises awareness of the multitude of benefits that their conservation provides to people.
In addition, “World Wildlife Day reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species, which have wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.”
Each year, World Wildlife Day is celebrated on 3 March, the day of the signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973.
By Seth Danquah, GNA
