In an effort to promote local wildlife conservation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has set up the CSIR Wildlife Museum at the Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) in Fumesua, Ashanti Region.
This first-of-a-kind initiative features a collection of parts from some rare wildlife species, DNAs, and various specific information about wildlife species, enlightening visitors about Ghana and the world’s wildlife state.
The establishment aims not only to preserve indigenous wildlife but also to educate and raise awareness, fostering a commitment to biodiversity conservation and challenging prevailing attitudes.
According to CSIR, the Wildlife Museum will play a crucial role in scientific discovery by facilitating exploration, curation, study, and dissemination of research findings in collaboration with National Parks and Zoos in Ghana and beyond.
During the museum’s inauguration, Prof. Paul Bosu, the Director-General of CSIR, emphasized its significance in conserving biodiversity in Ghana.
“Museums worldwide are repositories for the collection, exhibition, and study of objects of artistic, historic, scientific, and educational interest. As a scientific research institution, I believe this wildlife museum has come at the right time, especially in these times where our biodiversity is being wantonly depleted.”
Prof. Daniel Ofori, Director of CSIR-FORIG, highlighted the imperative of establishing the museum in response to the global decline in biodiversity.
“The decline in biodiversity is a well-known global issue, and effective management of biodiversity and the environment is crucial for its preservation. In Ghana, forests have deteriorated into quasi-open access areas with widespread encroachment and illegal forest activities, including logging, hunting, mining, and wildfires leading to wildlife habitat destruction, species migration, biodiversity loss, and even the extinction of species in extreme cases.”
In light of the museum’s establishment, Prof. Robert Kingsford Adaboh, CSIR Council Chairman, underscored the importanceof providing staff training to ensure effective management.
In addition to the museum, a 100KVA solar power system was commissioned at the Forest Research Institute of Ghana under CSIR. This installation aims to reduce electricity expenses by 60%, previously incurred from the power supplied by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Meanwhile, the scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are passionately calling on the government to dedicate more resources to support research in the country. They complain that with most of the funding they receive coming from foreign donors, the focus is not geared towards addressing critical problems facing Ghanaians but seeks to satisfy the demands of the donors, which they want authorities to pay serious attention to.
The director of the Forest Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof. Daniel Ofori, tells Citi News that the lack of funding from the government to support their research operations remains their major challenge. He also wants the government to employ more qualified persons to aid their research activities.
Speaking to Citi News, some just-retired Principal Research Scientists at CSIR who have been honored for their stellar contributions towards research in Ghana corroborated the claims of Prof. Daniel Ofori and emphasized the need for the government to address the issue.
Notwithstanding the challenges, the director of FORIG under CSIR, Prof. Daniel Ofori, says the scientists at his outfit have made giant strides in contributing significantly towards research in Ghana.
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