The Leadership for Conservation in Africa Ghana Chapter, LCA-Ghana, at the weekend hosted a fundraising dinner at the Labadi Beach Hotel to solicit support for its Shai Hills Resource Reserve Enhancement Project. The event formed part of activities by LCA-Ghana to raise awareness of conservation in Ghana while engaging key stakeholders to share in the vision of the project and take steps to commit organisational and individual resources to it. Last month, LCA-Ghana held a cocktail event to create awareness amongst various stakeholders and to solicit their support. Guests at the dinner, who included representatives from corporate bodies, traditional authorities and government, as well as private individuals, demonstrated their support and commitment to the conservation of the Shai Hills Resource Reserve by pledging their financial and material resources to it. The Guest of Honour, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Okyenhene, in delivering the keynote address, stated that environmental issues and the preservation of nature needed much attention and commitment to ensure our continuous existence. He reiterated the importance of conserving the Shai Hills Resource Reserve saying: “our ancestors regulated the use of natural resources carefully to ensure there would always be resources for future generations. For example, the forest and farms were always allowed to rest for two days of every week, which is over a 100 days per year; a hunter always had to share some of his kill with the Nana so that the Nana could ensure that a deer hunter only hunted deer and did not hunt more than he needed; and no-one was allowed to farm within 200m of the riverbed so as to ensure that the river remains clean and uncontaminated. "There is a need to integrate our modern life with the preservation of our natural resources, to ensure a natural world for future generations,” he maintained. Osagyefuo Amoatia also lauded the efforts by LCA-Ghana towards the enhancement of the Shai Hills Resources Reserve. He said everyone needed some green environment close to the city to relax. Representing the President of the Shai Traditional Council, the chief of Dodowa Okukrubuor Teye Kwasi Agyemang V expressed gratitude to LCA-Ghana for its commitment to the conservation of the Shai Hills Resources Reserve, which is also the LCA-Ghana’s flagship project. He stated that the Traditional Council will do their part to ensure the success of the project. Through the direct beneficiaries of the project, the Shai Traditional Council also pledged its financial commitment to the project. Meanwhile Ghana’s dancehall king, Samini, who is an ambassador for LCA- Ghana launched a music video recorded with Chris Chameleon, a South African artist who is also the ambassador for LCA-International. Dubbed “She’s my planet”, it was written and produced to create awareness of environmental conservation. In a subsequent fundraising initiative for the LCA-Ghana, Samini will host Jamaican dancehall superstar Demarco at a concert at the Dome of the Accra International Conference Centre on 07 July 2012. Dr. Ian Player, an outstanding international conservationist and environmental statesman, in a pre-recorded message urged stakeholders to support LCA-Ghana’s initiative. He emphasized that the conservation of the Shai Hills Resources Reserve is not just a preservation of nature but a preservation of a people’s culture and their spirit. A reserve like this, he continued, will attract tourists and contribute to Ghana’s socioeconomic development. The LCA-Ghana chapter was established in June 2007 in collaboration with the Forestry Commission of Ghana, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Ghana-based corporates. In June 2011, it was given the mandate to enhance the Shai Hills Resource Reserve. The project aims at growing the natural capital of Shai Hills by creating a visitor experience that showcases the natural and cultural heritage of Ghana.