Radio Engagement at AGOO FM  96.9  (24th of September 2023)

The Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape have over the years been advocating for a green economy for the Atewa Range Forest Reserve Landscape.

This action received massive support from many Ghanaians especially communities fringing the Atewa Range Forest Reserve.

Mr Emmanuel Tabi (Project Coordinator) appealed to the government, government agencies, and individuals to come together to halt illegal mining. The health hazards associated with illegal mining are on the rise and might soon reach epidemic levels if proper measures are not taken to resolve the situation. All our water bodies and soil are polluted to the extent that fish and animals feeding in such environments are contaminated. The food that is grown on contaminated soil is contaminated as well. He stressed.

Background:

The Atewa Range Forest Reserve covers an area of 232 km², while the extension (Atewa Extension) is 26.3 km². The two reserves cover approximately 258.3 km2 and fall within a longitude of 0°36'0"W and a latitude of 6°10'0"N. It is the largest of the two Upland Evergreen forests in Ghana, with an elevation between 500 m and 750 m. The Atewa Range Forest Reserve is a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) an Important Bird Area (IBA) and a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). It is the source of three major waterbodies in Ghana namely; Ayensu, Birim, and Densu rivers (McCullough et al.,2007). Densu River alone supplies water to at least 5 million Ghanaians living within Accra the nation’s capital and its environs, while the Ayensu River supplies water to the central region and some parts of the eastern region. However, Birim is also used domestically in the eastern region for irrigational purposes.

Currently, the Atewa Range Forest Reserve is earmarked for Bauxite Mining due to the Resource-backed loan agreement signed in 2018 between the Ghanaian government and Chinese state-owned Sinohydro Corp Limited. This agreement requires Ghana to repay $ 2 billion worth of bauxite or processed bauxite. Despite the opportunities for infrastructure development presented by the loan, this project carries significant risks to the regulatory and life-supporting functions of the Forest Reserve. The Concerned Citizens of the Atewa landscape have over the years been engaging the Government of Ghana through mechanisms such as dialogue demonstrations and court actions to rescind its decision to mine low-grade bauxite within the Atewa Range Forest Reserve because it will incur a detrimental effect on the livelihood of Ghanaians. While these actions are being taken to get the Government to rescind this decision, further destruction of the forest reserve through mining, farming, logging, and hunting has been on the rise. CCAL therefore through interfaith, schools, and community outreaches envisages lobbying and empowering community members, youth groups, assembly members, and traditional opinion leaders within the Atewa Landscape to get local support in evidence gathering and reporting to relevant state agencies for swift action that secures Atewa’s biodiversity. This will improve the green economy and the sustainability of the regulatory and life-supporting functions of the Forest Reserve for the survival of Mother Ghana.