Ghana Has Lost 8,900 Hectares of Forest to Illegal Mining
Forestry Commission satellite data show about 8,900 hectares of Ghana's forest reserves affected by illegal mining, as Cabinet moves to cut mining leases to 20 years. The post Ghana Has Lost 8,900 Hectares of Forest to Illegal Mining appeared first on The Rio Times .
Ghana has lost 8,900 hectares of forest to illegal mining by the end of 2024, as verified by satellite data from the Forestry Commission. This represents a 70% increase compared to the 5,253 hectares lost in 2021. Nine out of Ghana's 288 forest reserves are severely affected. Enforcement efforts have resulted in the seizure or immobilisation of 234 excavators, 2,728 pumping machines, 1,724 changfan machines, and 461 motorbikes and tricycles, as well as the arrest of 258 individuals.
However, the bottleneck lies in prosecution rather than arrests. More than 4,000 excavators are currently held at Ghana's ports, awaiting clearance under a new documentation regime, but these are not equipment seized from illegal mining sites. To address the issue, the government plans to shorten large-scale mining leases from 30 years to 20 years, although the bill has not yet been passed.
About 2,000 Blue Water Guards have been recruited and trained to patrol rivers, but allegations of bribery within the programme exist. Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer, is trying to retain more value from its natural resources, but enforcement capacity needs to catch up with enforcement ambitions to prevent further damage to the country's forests and rivers.
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