Disapproval and Condemnation of the Legislative Instrument Permitting Mining in Ghana’s Forest Reserves, L.I. 2462
The Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) writes with a sense of dismay and disbelief upon learning of the passage of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, L.I. 2462 and its aftermath. As experts and advocates for sustainable natural resource management, it is with deep urgency and concern that the GIF expresses the strong objection of Ghana’s foresters to this outrageous Legislative Instrument that permits unlimited mining in our forest reserves.
As specified in Section 2(d) of the Forest Act, 1927 (Cap 157), our forest reserves were deliberately established for purposes that include safeguarding water supplies, sustaining ecological integrity and the forest microclimate needed for cocoa production, and sustaining
supply of timber. The reserves have been legally dedicated as protected areas, which confers on them legal protection from destructive use. Allowing mining in our forest reserves defeats the purposes of the forest reservation. It makes it unjustified to continue having them as areas entrusted to Government to manage with its powers and expertise for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
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