A Rocha Ghana is calling on the government to immediately declare the Atewa Forest as a national park or risk losing it by the end of this year.
The group says illegal mining activities have doubled in the reserve, while the institutions responsible for protecting it are increasingly becoming overwhelmed.
“We have reviewed the latest evidence from the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, including court records, operational reports, Forestry Commission correspondence, and on-the-ground documentation. The unavoidable conclusion is that Atewa is under an unprecedented and escalating attack from illegal mining, while the institutions mandated to protect it are increasingly overwhelmed.”
The group maintains that despite its legal protection and national importance, Atewa is being systematically plundered.
“Evidence from illegal mining hotspots inside the reserve, including the Wankobi Stream headwaters on the left arm road of the Y Junction (coordinates 0.568W 6.235N), shows excavated pits, stripped forest cover, muddy and polluted streams, makeshift miner camps, and abandoned equipment. This is not a historical problem. It is happening now.”
A Rocha Ghana together with Eco-Conscious Citizens and Concerned Citizens of the Atewa Landscape say Atewa is a national security asset and its water sustains millions.
In addition, its forests regulate climate with its biodiversity being a global treasure, not forgetting its cultural heritage as a key symbol to the people of Akyem.
The group is therefore calling government to take action now.
“We call on the President, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Forestry Commission, the Ghana Police Service, NAIMOS, the Attorney-General, and all relevant institutions to take the following urgent actions:
1. Make Atewa a National Park immediately. Honour the 2016 manifesto commitment and the Kyebi Declaration. Rescind all plans for bauxite mining in Atewa. Provide the highest legal protection for the forest.
2. Deploy a permanent, well-resourced joint security task force to secure the entire Atewa Range Forest Reserve. Stop all illegal mining. End ad hoc raids that allow miners to return.
3. Empower the Forestry Commission with adequate officers, protected camps, vehicles, equipment, and intelligence capacity to enforce the law.
4. Fast-track prosecution. Establish a dedicated court for illegal mining cases in the Eastern Region. Publish the status of all pending cases. Ensure that bail conditions are deterrent and that kingpins and politically exposed persons are prosecuted without fear or favour.
5. Investigate and sanction complicity. Investigate information leakages and allegations of selective enforcement in Atewa operations. Sanction any official found complicit or incompetent.
6. Implement the Atewa Green Option. Fund and coordinate the Transformational Development Agenda for Atewa National Park, including eco-tourism, agroforestry, climate finance, and green value chains.
7. Work with communities and traditional authorities. The people of Akyem Abuakwa and forest-fringe communities are allies, not obstacles. Their consent and participation are essential. The Okyenhene’s leadership must be respected and supported.”
The campaign now turns to government.
For a forest that has survived a century, the question now is whether the next chapter will be one of protection or loss along with other forest reserves in the country.
By Samuel Yeboah Adams
