The call for the government to fast-track the conversion of the Atewa Range Forest Reserve into a national park deserves serious attention.
The Atewa Forest is an important natural asset, but the latest concerns raised by environmental groups point to a worrying reality, illegal mining is increasingly encroaching on forest reserves, threatening the very resources that communities and the country depend on.
The Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Mr Daryl Bosu, has urged the government to take immediate steps towards securing national park status for the Atewa Range Forest.
He has also made it clear that the proposed conversion should involve communities around the forest and other relevant stakeholders. That is an important point.
Protecting a forest cannot simply be about drawing a boundary on a map and declaring an area protected.
The people living around the forest must have a stake in its protection and must be able to see legitimate economic benefits from keeping it intact.
Mr Bosu has pointed out that the Atewa Forest has the potential to generate significant economic benefits for communities within the landscape and the country as a whole if it is properly protected and managed.
The Ghanaian Times considers this an opportunity that should not be lost.
The concerns about illegal mining make the matter even more urgent. According to Mr Bosu, illegal miners are increasingly entering forest reserves with pickaxes and “one-leg” machines rather than excavators.
While the equipment may appear less destructive, he warned that the damage could be equally devastating. That warning should not be taken lightly.
The destruction of a forest cannot be measured only by the machinery used.
Once trees are cleared, soil is disturbed and the ecological balance is damaged, restoring the area can be extremely difficult.
Equally worrying is the suggestion that illegal mining has become a greater threat than logging, with some people who previously engaged in logging shifting into mining.
This requires a strong and sustained response from the authorities.
The call for a permanent and well-resourced joint security task force at the forest reserve is therefore worthy of consideration.
So too is the demand for the Forestry Commission to receive the logistics and personnel necessary to protect the reserve effectively.
Enforcement, however, must go beyond the deployment of security personnel. The prosecution of persons allegedly involved in illegal mining must be pursued promptly.
Alleged information leakages must be investigated, and concerns about selective enforcement must be addressed.
At the same time, the government must ensure that the process of establishing a national park is transparent and inclusive.
The proposed conversion concerns the Atewa Range Forest, not the Atewa Extension, and that distinction must be respected. Communities and relevant stakeholders must be properly engaged throughout the process.
The call by the Founder of EcoConscious Citizens, Mrs Awula Serwaa, for home-grown solutions to illegal mining is also relevant. While international cooperation, including the recent agreement between Ghana and China on a strategy to tackle galamsey, may be useful, Ghana must take responsibility for protecting its own forests and natural resources.
Atewa should not become another example of a natural resource whose value is fully appreciated only after it has been severely damaged.
The government has an opportunity to act before the situation deteriorates further. Fast-tracking the national park process, strengthening protection, involving communities and implementing the Atewa Green Option would demonstrate that environmental protection and economic development do not have to be opposing goals.
The Ghanaian Times therefore urges the government to treat the concerns surrounding Atewa with the urgency they deserve.
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