I have come to know many animals,
growing up. Those were the times, as children, we gather and embark on some
adventures. One adventure we undertook was ‘mango line’. ‘Mango line’ was moving
from mango tree to mango tree to pluck mangoes. We enter mango farms to pluck
mangoes to eat them. Then, there were many mango farms. Today, the mango farms
are no more! I can take you to those places right now to see for yourself. They
are gone; almost all the mango trees.
Why? The mango farms have been
replaced with buildings. If you live in La or have lived in La from the early
sixties, you should grasp what I am talking about. Check the Labone Secondary
School, the area near the school park, called Lago. My cousins lived there so I
know firsthand that many mongo trees occupied that space. Further down, towards
the Christian Hospitals Association of Ghana office, there were many mango
trees too. It was more or less a belt of mango trees. This is just one example.
La is the capital of La Dadekotopon
Municipality, a municipality in the Greater Accra region of Ghana near Accra
the capital of Ghana.
When we went on ‘mango line’ we
encounter an ant called ‘gbese’ in the Ga language. Gbese is red ant. Their
bite is painful. To get the mango you must get around the gbese. Now, as I type
this post, I cannot remember the last time I saw one gbese. The only reason I
can proffer is that the cutting of the mango trees to replace them with
buildings- sandcrete buildings- destroyed the habitat of gbese.
In this very house, from where I am
typing this post, there were times when a lot of skink come into the backyard
(not paved). We call it shining lizard. They were very common. Now, I hardly
see them. I believe because we paved the backyard they lost their habitat.
The loss of habitat resulting in the endangerment or loss of plant
and animal species is a global trend!
All the mango trees cut, and replaced with buildings in an
inordinate manner, were releasing fresh air into the atmosphere for us to
breathe in, and taking in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. The resultant
imbalance is being manifested in the climate change we are experiencing.
To sustain a clean and balanced natural environment we ought to
be mindful of how we source and use materials therefrom.
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