Illegal mining threatens Ghana forests

Ghana's widespread illegal mining activities are destroying the gold-rich West African country's forests, the government's forestry agency warned Tuesday at a news conference in Accra. Ghana...

Forest Invasion: Companies owned by Wontumi, Kumasi …

The second part of this story will reveal the contradictions and lies fueling the interest in mining in forest reserves in Ghana. No part of this story can be published or rewritten without the express permission of the Editor. TAGGED: Chairman Wontumi cp_spotlight LI 2462 Mining in Forest Reserves Sam Pyne Wassa East DCE.

Govt initiates forest mining law revocation | The Ghana Report

The government has presented a Legislative Instrument (L.I.) to Parliament to revoke the existing law, Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) (Revocation) Instrument. L.I. 2462, which allows mining in forest reserves. The revocation of LI 2462 will lead to a total ban on mining in forest reserves. In accordance with Article 11(7) of the Constitution, […]

Addressing risks of an inadequate legal framework …

15 Environmental Protection Agency (2001) Environmental Guidelines for Mining in Production Forest Reserves in Ghana. 16 Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (2012) Ghana Forest and Wildlife Policy, Section 5.1.1, article 1.1.2. 17 See e.g. WACAM, Forest Watch and Kasa (2016) 'Halt illegal mining in forest reserves!' Press Release (http ...

PRESS STATEMENT

Damage to Ghana's Forest Reserves from Licensed Mining Even before L.I.2462 was passed and the 2018 Environmental Guidelines were current, large swathes of the forest reserves far beyond the 2% restriction were licensed for mining. Despite this, government remains silent on forest damage by mineral rights holders and instead places all the ...

Galamsey Fight in Ghana: An Analysis of Failure of …

Illegal gold mining (galamsey) continues to be a threat to forest and water resources in Ghana. Even though galamsey is not new in Ghana, the use of heavy machines such as excavators and ...

34 major forests in Ghana significantly impacted …

Accra, May 2, GNA – Thirty-four major forest reserves in the country have been significantly affected due to illegal small-scale mining, otherwise known as "galamsey". A total of 4, 726.2 hectares of forests had, thus, been dissipated …

Forest invasion: Land Minister's half-truth to Parliament

The master plan targeted a 60 percent reduction in mining activities in Ghana's forest reserves by 2020, with an ultimate ambition to completely end mining in forest reserves by 2035. The first target has been missed and with the passage of LI 2462, environmental activists are warning that mining in forest reserves could continue beyond 2035 ...

Effects of post-mining forest restoration and alternative

The RF is located in Terchire (7° 14′ 4.78″ N, 2° 10′ 49.88″ W), about 24 km from Sunyani, the Bono regional capital of Ghana. It was actively restored after gravel mining by planting leguminous cover crops (e.g. Mucuna bracteata, Luffa eagyptiaca, Pueraria phaseoloides) and trees, both indigenous (e.g. Morinda lucida Benth, Terminalia suberba …

(PDF) AN OVERVIEW OF FOREST CONSERVATION …

Deforestation in Ghana over some decades now has undoubtedly destabilized the socioeconomic and socio-cultural importance of the forests for a large number of rural people especially, forest ...

Forest Invasion: The president's men and women mining in Ghana's forest

This area, like many others, is already reeling from the devastating effects of illegal mining, including the destruction of forest reserves, farmlands, and road networks.. Records at the Minerals Commission show that the company, Sam & Gyan Limited, applied for the mining license in February 2023, months after the government enacted the Environmental Protection (Mining …

Mining Research

Guidelines3 and Forest and Wildlife Policy4 imply that mining is permitted in forest reserves, within limits. L.I 2462 now appears to permit mining in all forest reserves in Ghana, provided the procedures specified in the L.I are complied with. 2. Overview of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022 (L.I.2462)

Mining and agriculture in Ghana: A contested …

There is a growing concern that mining is decreasing agricultural lands and crop production, and thereby contributing to periodic food shortages in Ghana.

Passage of L.I. 2462: The law was passed with well …

They argued that, new L.I. aims to support permission for mining across of Ghana's forest reserves without taking into consideration the rural communities whose environmental rights are being completely ignored.

(PDF) An analysis of illegal mining on the Offin shelterbelt forest …

The results support the idea that forest disturbance in Ghana is a multi-stage process involving degradation of closed forests followed by loss of the resulting open forests.

Forest invasion: A Minister's half-truth to Parliament and the

The master plan targeted a 60 percent reduction in mining activities in Ghana's forest reserves by 2020, with an ultimate ambition to completely end mining in forest reserves by 2035. The first target has been missed and with the passage of LI 2462, environmental activists are warning that mining in forest reserves could continue beyond 2035 ...

Govt to revoke mining in forest reserves, Soldiers …

The government has agreed to revoke the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L. I. 2462) as part of a new move in the fight against illegal mining commonly known ...

Gold Over Forest: A Surge in Illegal Mining in Ghana

Since 2007, illegal mining operations locally known as "galamsey" have ravaged Ghana's forests and bodies of water. A report by the World Resource Institute shows that Ghana is losing its forests at a 60% rate, faster than any country in the world. Today, illegal mining is one of the largest causes of forest destruction in Ghana.

Revoke L.I on mining in forest reserves with immediate …

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is demanding an immediate halt to illegal mining in forest reserves and water bodies across the country.

Gold mining's environmental footprints, drivers, and future …

The severe environmental repercussions of small-scale gold mining in riverbeds and forest reserves, which employ advanced machinery, prompted a two-year ban on small-scale activities in 2019. The government also prohibited the issuance of mining permits for gold exploration/mining in forest reserve zones and imposed a ban on excavator exports.

Illegal mining threatens Ghana forests

Ghana's widespread illegal mining activities are destroying the gold-rich West African country's forests, the government's forestry agency warned Tuesday at a news conference in Accra.

Forest Invasion: CSOs sue government, want mining …

The Forestry Development Master Plan targets total elimination of mining and prospecting in Ghana's forest reserves by 2036. Article 36 (9) of the 1992 Constitution states that "the State ...

Mining Laws and Regulations Report 2025 Ghana

Other sources of law affecting the mining industry include environment-related laws, such as the Environmental Protec-tion Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490) and its subsidiary legislation, and other natural resources-related laws, such as: the Forestry Commission Act, 1999 (Act 571); the Water Resources Commission Act, 1996 (Act 522); the Ghana ...

Forestry Commission Annual Report 2021

GLRSSMP Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project GoG Government of Ghana GSBAs Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas ... To replace lost forest cover, the Commission has continued to implement the Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy (2016–2040). Out of a target of 16,000 hectares, a total of 18,495 hectares (14,294 ha by the ...

How Ghana's Forests Are Under Threat From …

Ghana, a country rich in forest resources, is facing a serious challenge from a new mining regulation that allows unrestricted exploitation of its forest reserves. The regulation, known as Legislative Instrument (L.I. 2462), …

Location of forest reserves and sustainable natural resource …

Forest reserves play an important role in the Sustainable Development agenda. This is because they offer services in sustaining the environment while at the same time performing social and economic functions. There is evidence to suggest that the location of forest reserves could have implications on their sustainable management. However, in the context of …

THREATS TO FOREST RESERVE MANAGEMENT FROM …

presbyterian university college, ghana faculty of development studies department of environmental and natural resources management threats to forest reserve management from mining

The impact of bauxite mining in Ghana's Atewa Forest

The Atewa Forest in Ghana is home to a wide variety of species. 53 communities living on the edge of the forest depend on it for their livelihoods, and the forest is an important source of water for over five million people. ... According to Global Forest Watch, part of the forest loss is linked to cocoa production and forest fires. Mining is ...

Ghana | ForestLink

Forest Area: 9,010,071 ha ii Chatham House, Forest Governance and Legality – Ghana (2015) Forest loss in 2020: 136,000 ha iii Global Forest Watch Dashboard – Ghana (2020) Principal threats to forests: illegal chainsaw logging, cocoa plantations, mining. Country Background. Ghana's remaining primary forest is heavily fragmented and found ...