Togo creates a national office for its protected areas

Public Management

Monday, 30 October 2023 16:21

Togo creates a national office for its protected areas

(Togo First) - The Council of Ministers of Togo adopted last Thursday, October 26, a decree to create and operate a national office for protected areas (ONAP).

The ONAP "will be responsible in particular for implementing national forest policy in terms of the sustainable management of national parks, wildlife reserves, habitat and species management reserves, natural resource management zones, zones of hunting interest and zoo-botanical gardens".

Placed under the technical supervision of the Ministry of the Environment and the financial supervision of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the new entity will also coordinate operations, ensure the sustainability of the various achievements, and facilitate the mobilization of appropriate human, material and financial resources to fulfill its missions.

The ONAP’s creation, according to the government, stems from the findings of an institutional audit of Togo’s natural resource management. The findings underscore the importance of entrusting the management of national protected areas to an autonomous body for more effective intervention.

This body, the ONAP, could, according to Lomé, help the country expand its forest coverage to 25% by 2025.

Esaïe Edoh

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