Kuoro Benin Duoro Issifu, a Divisional Chief of the Jaana Traditional Area in the Sissala East Municipality in the Upper West Region has urged local communities to preserve and conserve their natural habitat. 'Protect the environment from degradation to help mitigate climate change impacts and responsibly manage the natural resources.,' he said. According to the traditional ruler who is under the Tumu Paramountcy, the survival of the human race solely depended on the environment but expressed the fear and worry that when measures were not taken to tackle the current rate of environmental destruction, it could deepen the challenges currently faced. 'There is a common saying that when the last tree dies, the last man will certainly die and this is not a mere saying, it is true that when we lose our forest and everything in it, human beings are going to be wiped away simply because our very existence is in the forest and vegetation'. The Divisional Chief was addressing stakeholders in the environment value c hain during the election and swearing-in of the Executive Committee of the Sissala Kassena Fara Community Resource Management Area (CREMA), held at Tumu. It was organised by the Organisation for Indigenous Initiatives and Sustainability Ghana (ORGISS-Ghana) with support from the European Union. Kuoro Issifu observed that the country was losing its forest reserves and vegetative cover at a faster pace through human activities such as timber logging, deforestation, illegal mining, and bushfires, among others. The situation, he said, posed significant threats to livelihoods and urged the stakeholders, especially local authorities to jealously guard the environment against such unwarranted destruction. Through the various interventions rolled out by ORGISS-Ghana and its partners, communities in the Kassena-Nankana West District in the Upper East Region and Sissala East Municipality along the Western Wildlife Corridor have been empowered to protect, manage, and preserve natural resources in the reserve. The W estern Wildlife Corridor which provides protection for the Sissili River, is part of the Mole Landscape linking the Mole National Park in the Savannah Region and the Nazinga Game Ranch as well as serves as a travelling path for wild animals from neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso into Ghana vice versa. Mr Julius Awaregya, Executive Director, ORGISS-Ghana, said over the years, the Corridor had constantly been depleted through human activities, making indigenous tree species and natural resources as well as wild animals to go extinct. He said the CREMA concept was key to supporting the communities to be involved in the management of their natural resources to ensure sustainability to help reverse the trend, mitigate climate change, and ensure food security. Mr Joseph Binlinla, Wildlife Regional Manager in charge of the Northern sector, said natural resources were stores of wealth which the communities needed to work together to protect them for future generations. Mr Huaru Alhassan Marifa, Chairman of the newly elected Sissala Kassena Fara CREMA Executive Committee, speaking on behalf of the executives, pledged to work with relevant stakeholders such as the chiefs to enforce the regulations spelt out by the CREMA concept to protect the environment. Source: Ghana News Agency