Ghana's Upper Guinea rain forests are under threat -- and it's illegal. New research says that Ghana's birds are paying the ultimate price because of the country's rampant and unregulated illegal logging. It's estimated that 80 percent of Ghana's timber is illegal. Logging jumped an alarming 600 percent in 15 short years, and the wild birds can't keep up.
The study shows that half of all understory birds have declined. Some species have been hit harder than others. For instance, the "yellow-whiskered greenbul declined by 73 percent, and the icterine greenbul declined by 90 percent." The region's species richness is also on the decline.
But the forests can still regenerate and the birds can still recover. Ghana's government needs to intervene now with more forest protection and prevention techniques to save the rain forests. The country's logging system has to be changed from the inside out, but biodiversity is worth it.
Sign and share this petition urging Ghana's government to crack down on illegal logging practices that are stripping the country and the world of precious biodiversity before it's too late.
