Civil society organisations (CSOs)—Wacam, Centre for Environmental and Impact (CEIA) and Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL)—have charged the government to immediately revoke mining rights granted to all mining companies in the country that are mining in the country’s forest reserves.
In a joint statement issued at the weekend to commemorate World Environment Day, the three CSOs asked government to take a firm policy decision to stop the granting of permits for mining in forest reserves.
“For example, government has granted mining right to Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and SAVACEM respectively to mine gold in the Adjenua Bepo Forest Reserve and Limestone in the Yokumbra Forest Reserve near Buipe,” it said.
“Mining in forest reserves contravenes certain provisions in the National Land Policy developed by the Ministry of Mines, Lands and Natural Resources in 1999. Section 4.5(a) of the National Land Policy states that, “To ensure the conservation of environmental quality, no land with primary forest cover will be cleared for the purpose of establishing a forest or tree crop plantation or mining activity”.
…The National Land Policy of 1999 states further in Section 4.4(b) that, “All lands declared as forest reserves, strict natural reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and similar land categories constitute Ghana’s permanent forest reserves and wildlife estates, and are ‘fully protected’ for ecosystem maintenance, biodiversity conservation and sustainable timber production,” the statement noted.
According to the statement, it was worrying that government was engaging in policy contradictions, adding that this violates national laws, visions and regulations.
Again, Wacam, CEIA and CEPIL said the de-classifying of large portions of the Achimota Forest to private people to put up residential and other properties was one that portends danger for the country.
This development, the statement said, has the tendency to affect the ecological integrity of the remaining forest reserve.
“The Achimota Forest Reserve was created in 1930s and should be allowed to serve the purpose for which it was created,” it stressed.
Further, the three CSOs urged government to enforce its directives to stop granting exploration rights to companies in the country within protected areas.
The statement questioned the ability of mining companies to rehabilitate mined off reserves in accordance with best practices suitable for tropical forests.
“We call on government to halt attempts to de – gazette portions of Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBA) in the Western Region and other areas in general for logging.
We are of the belief that, when government halts its policy contradictory actions such as granting of permits to mine in forest reserves, de – gazetting of Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas, then the good initiatives of government to “Green Ghana Initiative” would be a reality,” it said.
The statement, therefore, encouraged Ghanaians to regard “our environment valuable treasure which we must use and preserve as important legacy for future generations”, adding that “collectively, we should work to derive the full benefits of our standing forests.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com
—Wacam, Centre for Environmental and Impact (CEIA) and Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL)—have charged mining){kind=link}