Dear Meta, of late, one has been wondering how one’s extended family clan can creatively use thinking-out-of-the-box initiatives to help us protect our privately owned freehold 14-square mile upland evergreen rainforest, in the Akyem Juaso section of the biodiversity rich Atewa Range.
Unfortunately, because it is also rich in gold beneath it and in the streams flowing through it (the Apotosu, Cheboah, Bodwes3 and Akusoo streams), it is being destroyed by galamseyers and illegal loggers involved in chainsaw bushcut lumber production.
Don’t you think that if there was a WhatsApp feature allowing users to make live broadcasts/podcasts, on subjects dear to them (rainforest protection in our family’s case!) that would make a perfect social media feature to grow WhatsApp’s subscriber numbers substantially? Do take a look at my pitch to you, towards that end, below. Thanks:
Title: Introducing Live Broadcast/Podcast Feature for Environmental Conservation
Description: As concerned citizens and large private landowners in the Atewa Range, we are proposing a live broadcast/podcast feature on WhatsApp to raise awareness about environmental issues, such as protecting our rainforest from galamsey and illegal logging.
This feature would enable users who love the great outdoors and support conservation of the world’s remaining rainforests, to share their stories, mobilize support, and inspire community action, such as conservation through green economy community-based ecotourism initiatives worldwide.
Use Case: Our family’s 14-square mile upland evergreen rainforest in the Akyem Juaso section of the Atewa Range is under threat. Through WhatsApp’s live broadcast/podcast feature, we could share our conservation efforts, collaborate with organisations like A Rocha Ghana for example, and promote sustainable land use practices.
Background: The Atewa Forest Reserve has been studied by researchers from Conservation International who conducted a rapid assessment survey there in 2006 that was sponsored by the American aluminium giant, Alcoa.
Their report (RAP Bulletin No. 47), available online, highlights the importance of what is a designated Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA), in which there are plants that exist nowhere else on the planet, such as tree ferns and the Black Star plants. It also has monkeys and rare amphibians such as frogs, and offers marvellous extreme hiking opportunities.
Our land, including 99.6 acres within the reserve (designated as an “admitted farm” with a pillar marked GSBA), is crucial to conservation efforts to grow a local green economy pillar for sustainable growth in a warming planet.
Request: We urge Meta to consider adding a live broadcast/podcast feature to WhatsApp, enabling users to create engaging content and drive positive change.
#WhatsAppFeatureRequest #MetaIdeas #AtewaForestReserve #EnvironmentalConservation #GalamseyFreeGhana #RainforestProtection #CommunityAction #Sustainability
