By:Abdulai Zulkaninu
Chief Sakanwura Ali Mahama, the Manager of Mole National Park is calling on all stakeholders to support park rangers across the country to preserve the environment for safe and healthy lifestyle. He called on all stakeholders to come on board to help protect the environment.
Mahama Ali commended stakeholders for their invaluable support to the management and staff of Mole park, urging them to come on board to safeguard the biodiversity.
Ali Mahama made the call at Mole National Park during a ceremony to celebrate the 2024 world ranger day on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
World Ranger Day is celebrated each year on 31st July to pay tribute to park rangers, also known as forest rangers. The park rangers are unsung heroes who protect, preserve, and defend Ghana’s dwindling wilderness land resources. The Day is also commemorated to honor rangers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Ali Mahama noted the day is celebrated across the world to honor rangers who sacrifice their lives to protect the forest.
It’s a day where rangers come together to celebrate each other and what they do in terms of helping to conserve and protect biodiversity in the world.
I would like to extend my gratitude to all stakeholders, dedicated rangers across Ghana, partners, and all who play key roles to protect the environment, he noted.
Ali Mahama commended the rangers and partners for their invaluable support and corporation which has paved the way for conservation initiatives and successes chalked over the years around the Mole National Park, the communities and surrounding environment.
Ali Mahama urged all stakeholders to take the opportunity to educate each other about wildlife conservation and commended the ministry of lands and natural resources and Ghana government for passing the wildlife resource management Act.
“In Ghana we have had serious challenges with our conservation of late despite the successes chalked. Gladly, the Mole National Park and other parks had good support from the government of Ghana and lands and natural resources ministry, and Parliament of Ghana for getting the Wildlife Resources Management Act in place.
The Wildlife Resources Management Act
2024, (Act 1115), which was sponsored by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and passed by Parliament on July 28, 2023, was assented to by the President on March 1, 2024
The Act was passed to boost effective management of the country’s wildlife resources and ensured the consolidation of all laws relating to wildlife and protected areas.
Musah Karim Kusubari, the MCE for West Gonja Municipality expressed gratitude to the management and staff of the Mole National Park for their unselfish efforts at protecting the biodiversity.
Musah Karim Kusubari assured that the municipal assembly will do everything to support the park to keep protecting biodiversity.
“The work the rangers do here is not just for the park and staff but for this generation and generations unborn. The municipal assembly will support the park to continue to protect the area”.
Musah Karim Kusubari commended the management of the park for awarding hardworking staff and urged those who didn’t receive awards this year not to be let down. Instead, they should work harder to get recognition from management to receive future awards.
Alfred Kofi Bara, Law Enforcement Officer, Mole National Park speaking to PAD FM 95.1mhz, said the day is a valuable one to the rangers because it’s set aside to recognize, appreciate, and commemorate rangers who have lost their lives in line of duty.
Mole National Park has records of rangers on duty who got injured. Our families, the job, Ghana suffered for these injuries, he added.
So the day is celebrated for rangers to tell their stories to the world about what they go through to protect the environment
The program was attended by heads of departments, security agencies, staff and management of the park, community members, and a host of others.
The 2024 World Ranger Day theme is ’30 by 30‘ based on the 2022 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), where a Global Biodiversity Framework was agreed upon by world leaders and decision-makers. Target 3 outlined a requirement that at least 30 per cent of the planet is effectively conserved and managed by 2030 (’30 by 30’).
This target cannot be achieved without adequately resourced and trained area-based workforce.
Mole National Park is the largest and most prestigious protected area in Ghana, in the north-west of the country, is Ghana’s largest wildlife refuge, measuring 4,849 sq km. The park has very rich flora and fauna. It is best known for its elephants (a population of about 600) as well as many other primates.
Some 94 mammal species, over 300 bird species, 9 amphibian species and 33 reptile species have been recorded in Mole. The large and commonly seen mammals include elephant, kob, roan antelope, hartebeest, waterbuck, bushbuck, warthog, buffalo, several duikers, baboon, roan, kob, hartebeest, waterbuck. Predators include lion, leopard, spotted hyena, caracal, aardvark, genet, civet and mongoose. Occasionally, buffalo overrun the park headquarters and the lodge area.
It is located in the West Gonja municipality of the Savannah region.
Some staff and partners received citations and appreciation awards.
iValley Ghana
Ghana Police Service
Department of Feeder Roads
Uprise Tours
Grassroot Tours
Mole National Park Manager Special Awards;
Ibrahim Yussif
Dery Basel
Osman Mohammed Amin
Bona Kyiiri
The staff from various units at the Mole National Park received certificates of participation after undergoing special training with the Earth Rangers and others.
They include;
Seidu Mahama, Nakola Kala, Adam Jimah Teni.
The rest are Koji P. Kapori, Sina Dabara, and Abdulai Seidu.
