A traditional ruler has urged the government to continue with the afforestation programme to help restore the country's degraded forest to save the lives of the present and future generations.

Nana Antwi Agyei Brempong II, chief of Atwima in the Atwima-Kwanwoma District, who made the call said "our survival as humans will depend on trees around us and it is important for the government to encourage all Ghanaians to embrace and sustain the tree planting exercise".

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after a tree planting exercise on some river banks in the community, he pointed out that trees provide oxygen, reduce erosion and pollution of water bodies while helping to reduce the effect of flooding in communities.

The tree planting exercise was organized by Ashan Tree, an NGO in afforestation, in collaboration with the Atwima Traditional Council, under the River Run Indigenous Tree Planting Project (RRITP).

A total of 500 trees of various species were planted around the banks of rivers Asuo Abenaa and Dwashen in the Atwima community.

Others were also planted around the ultra-modern market complex which is being constructed by the chief for the people in the community.

This move is part of Ashan Trees' Initiative to plant trees alongside all water bodies and wetlands in the area to help tackle climate change caused by greenhouse gas.

The tree planting is a project of Ashan Tree and the Atwima Community, together with its sister city Murnau at Bavaria in Germany, and aim at creating awareness on the importance of trees and the need for all to plant and protect trees for the survival of mankind.

It was piloted in 2020 with the planting of about 3,500 trees in the community.

Nana Agyei Brempong, said this new tree planting exercise was in honour of 'Ashanti Warriors and Breathe' a group of people in the city of Murnau, who are championing tree planting around the world.

He said the trees had been specially tagged with numbers to ensure easy identification and monitoring by forestry officials and other stakeholders.

Nana Ageyi Brempong said the environment had been degraded for various purposes and there was the need to plant more trees to replenish and protect the environment.

This he said would help protect the climate, increase the amount of water flow in the rivers, protect aquatic lives and improve biodiversity.

It would also help improve water quality by purifying them, adding that trees were very essential for the survival of humans.

Nana Agyei Brempong said school children in the area would soon be engaged on the need to make tree planting their hobby and inculcate in them the habit of protecting the environment.