Cattle breeding now becoming a business for forest owners around Wonigizi protected area in Lofa
By Tokpa Tarnue- tarnue82@gmail.com
VOINJAMA, Liberia- Citizens in Kpotomai Town, northwestern Lofa County say they are no longer engaged in the hunting activities in the area, but livestock rearing in this area situated over 368 kilometers from Monrovia..
The localss said even though hunting is their major source of income, it is time that they obey the forest law.
According to the Chief of Kpotomai town Youkor Kpakolo, they are raising a variety of cattle and other animals including goat, pig, duck and sheep to supplement their usual hunting activity.
Their to engage in the rising of domestic animals is the result of an awareness program aired on Radio Kintoma titled “Forest Blessing”, chief Kpakolo indicated.
Asked about their knowledge on greenhouse gas effect on a community, the town chief named deforestation, fossil fuels and Agriculture as some causes of greenhouse gases in their community.
FLASHBACK: A scene FDA’s local office burning confiscated bush meat
The local chief explains that farming in the forest produces huge effect on the climate change through the production and release of greenhouse gases such as Methane and Carbon dioxide.
“All that we’re asking for is our government and her partners to provide us with more support in raising our domestic animals; this I believe will help in keeping our forest and the animals in the forest as well,” town chief Kpakolo further says.
For his part, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lofa County Coordinator, Ambrose A.B.C. Jamena has urged the citizens to stop cultivating upland farming and instead get more engaged into lowland farming.
He said, deforestation can be a major contributor to climate change, describing deforestation as the clearing or thinning of forests by humans.
According to research, it represents one of the largest issues in global land use.
In the practice of clear-cutting, all the trees are removed from the land, which completely destroys the forest. In some cases, however, even partial logging and accidental fires thin out the trees enough to change the forest structure dramatically.
In August 2009, the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) local office in Voinjama burnt a huge quantity of dry meat valued over million Liberian dollars.
The consignment of bush meat was seized from four female traders in Pulowou, Wahansa district by FDA rangers backed by members of the Joint Security.