Lands Commission grants company license to conduct prospecting in Atewa Forest
Environmental groups sue government over Atewa Forest
There is heightened public concern about the fate of one of the highest priority ecosystems in West Africa, following a decision by Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
While a case against the government of Ghana is set to move to trial, the government of Ghana, through the ministry, has granted a license to Vimetco Ghana Bauxite Ltd to conduct prospecting in the Atewa Forest.
The license published on the website of the Minerals Commission is set to expire in February 2025.
The decision by the government to mine bauxite in the forest reserve has been met with opposition from some environmental groups who are concerned about the safety of the critical watershed and biodiversity hub.
Made up of seven Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and four private citizens, they have jointly sued the government over the mineral exploration plans for the Atewa Forest Reserve.
Despite the pending suit, the government is said to have given the mining firm the go-ahead to conduct prospecting in the Atewa Forest Reserve for possible mining of bauxite.
This has led to serious concerns being expressed by various individuals and groups including some residents around the Atewa locality.
The decision by the government goes contrary to its announcement of a temporal ban on prospecting activities within forest reserves across the country earlier this year.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, early in the year, issued a release suspending reconnaissance and prospecting activities in Ghana’s forest reserves.
“The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources hereby directs persons and/or companies engaged in reconnaissance and/or prospecting in Forest Reserves, with or without legal authorization, to suspend such activities until further notice…,”
“The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, accordingly, hereby gives persons and/or companies engaged in reconnaissance and/or prospecting in Forest Reserves, seven (7) days from the date of the publication of this notice, to cease their operations and evacuate their equipment accordingly,” the issue said.
The announcement by the ministry formed efforts by the government to tackle rampant illegal mining which had affected several forest and water bodies in the country.
Meanwhile, Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has been pushing for the development of the Atewa Forest into a national park.
The Okyehene, while receiving a delegation made up of Tourism Minister Dr. Awal Mohammed, his Deputy, Mark Okraku-Mantey, and officials from the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), called on the government to rather focus on developing the reserve into a park instead of opening it up to mining.
Develop a national park at Atewa forest, the species that God has given us there is phenomenal but if we begin to look at gold and its recklessness of galamsey and other things in the forest, we would never get there,” the Okyenhene said.
“Gold would go away. It is not a renewable resource. The reckless felling of timber is a disregard for our nature. Build a museum in addition to the park that would tell our history and show artefacts,” the Okyehene added.
Located in Ghana’s Eastern Region, Atewa Forest forms part of the threatened Upper Guinea Forest, one of the world’s global biodiversity hotpots. Atewa Forest is a Protected Forest Reserve, a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), and meets the conditions for Alliance for Zero Extinction status. The forest is home to many endangered, endemic and rare plants and animals, over 100 of which are threatened or near threatened with extinction.
Four species are listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species, and many more as vulnerable. The forest is also home to five species believed to be endemic to the forest, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth.
As a critical watershed, the forest is also the source for the Birim, Densu and Ayensu rivers, which provide water for some 5 million people, including residents of the capital, Accra.
In June 2018, the state-owned Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) started clearing access roads to the summit of the Atewa forest to allow test drilling for bauxite deposits, a move which was met with massive public furor.
GA/WA
The Atewa Forest is home to several endangered species