Experts have emphasised the need to identify other causes of forest degradation to effectively combat the destruction of the country's forest cover.

They warn that the country risks losing its entire forest cover if additional measures to address forest depletion are not explored.

JoyNews correspondent in the Eastern Region, Kofi Siaw, spoke to the Environment Protection Agency and the Forestry Commission about measures to mitigate the destruction of the country's forest cover.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the country is fast losing its forest cover. This loss has led to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, reduced water retention capacity, and other environmental issues.

As a result, the government has been making conscious efforts to mitigate the depletion rate by introducing the Green Ghana project. This initiative aims to plant millions of trees to replace those that have been lost.

Over the years, many critics have attributed the primary cause of forest loss to illegal mining. However, experts recommend a comprehensive approach to tackling the issue. They want the focus to target other agents of forest destruction, such as urbanization, farming, construction, and illegal logging.

Felix Addo Okyireh, the Eastern Regional EPA Boss, supports these recommendations.

"Our trees are going, they are day in and day out going because of the activities I have mentioned. Because of mining, both legal and illegal. If you have the permit you have to clear the vegetation to be able to do your work. Farming activities these days are also taking our trees away. Others are just wantonly cutting the trees, timber activities, construction, now urbanization is also contributing to the loss of trees," he explained.

The minister of Lands and Natural Resources has been touting the success of the Green Ghana initiative, claiming a 73 percent survival rate of trees planted.

The Eastern regional manager of the forestry commission, Isaac Noble Eshun says, in spite this achievement, it important for stakeholders to intensify the fight against environmental degradation.

"We already experiencing the effects of deforestation so we still call on people to rally behind the calls to plant trees and also fight or prevent people from felling trees indiscriminately and I believe if we do so we will all benefit from it in future," he said.

Like all other regions, the Eastern Region also planted dozens of trees to observe the Green Ghana Day.

Addressing a ceremony to precede the event, the regional minister, Seth Acheampong called on stakeholders to contribute effectively to restoring the country's forest cover.

" The Green Ghana Day places enormous responsibilities on us to collectively ensure that we live future generations and communities with richer, better and more valuable forest and wildlife endowment than we inherited". He stated

The region as part of the Green Ghana Day event, planted Seven hundred thousand trees of different species.