Report By: Ishmael Barfi
Kumasi, Ghana – In a significant step towards promoting environmental sustainability, journalists and media practitioners have committed to championing ecosystem restoration in Ghana.
The pledge was made at the Second Biennial Media Forum on Natural Resources, Environment, Climate Change, and Science (BIM-NEC), held in Kumasi.
The forum under the theme “Ecosystem Restoration, the Politics, Science, Human and Economy: a Deliberate Choice” brought together senior journalists and editors from various regions in Ghana.
The forum culminated in a declaration signed by participants, emphasizing the critical role of the media in raising awareness, promoting behavioral change, and advocating for policy reforms that support ecosystem restoration.
The declaration highlights the urgent need for collective action to tackle environmental challenges facing the country.
The declaration called for:
- Enhanced collaboration between journalists, researchers, and scientific institutions to ensure accurate and accessible scientific information informs media coverage.
- Continuous professional development and capacity-building for journalists to improve their reporting on environmental issues.
- Dedicated environmental desks within media houses to prioritize environmental reporting.
- Support for mentorship programs to nurture the next generation of environmental journalists.
The declaration urged government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and development partners to support independent media efforts aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.
This support is crucial in enabling the media to play its role effectively in promoting ecosystem restoration.
To track progress and ensure accountability, the declaration proposes a media-led mechanism to monitor Ghana’s progress toward ecosystem restoration.
This mechanism would feature regular scorecards, community feedback loops, and multilingual outreach to ensure inclusivity.
The commitment by journalists and media practitioners to promote ecosystem restoration is a significant step towards addressing environmental challenges in Ghana.
By working together, stakeholders can drive change and promote sustainable development. The media’s role in raising awareness, promoting behavioral change, and advocating for policy reforms is critical to achieving this goal.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
