The Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) has called for the creation of a new legal framework to regulate mining in forest reserves, following the government’s decision to revoke L.I. 2462 and its amendment, L.I. 2501.
According to the Institute, the proposed law should strictly permit only restricted deep-cast mining in designated production forests, while granting absolute protection to forests that safeguard water sources and unique biodiversity.
This major policy recommendation was contained in a communiqué issued at the close of the Institute’s 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, on Saturday, November 22, 2025.
The AGM, themed “Foresters at the Forefront of Change: Tackling Mining Challenges and Advancing Forest Restoration,” brought together about 150 members and was chaired by Professor Kyereh Boateng of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, KNUST.
Participants welcomed the government’s move of laying before Parliament a new Legislative Instrument to revoke L.I. 2462—which opened the door for mining in forest reserves—and L.I. 2501.
However, GIF emphasised that replacing the revoked instruments with a clearer and more stringent law was crucial to protect the country’s forests, especially as illegal and poorly regulated mining continues to degrade critical ecosystems.
The Institute recommended that the new law explicitly ban all forms of surface and alluvial mining in forest reserves, citing the extensive destruction such operations have caused to forests and water bodies.
“Instead, only deep-cast mining—whose operations can be more tightly controlled—should be permitted, and exclusively within the production forest reserves,” the communiqué stated.
GIF added that the proposed law should categorically exclude all forest areas that serve as watersheds, harbour rare biodiversity, or provide essential ecological services.
Data presented at the AGM underscored the urgency of the situation, revealing that between 2015 and 2024, open forests expanded while closed forests declined significantly, indicating accelerating degradation rather than outright deforestation.
Additionally, 50 protected areas, including 49 forest reserves and the Bui National Park, have been affected by mining activities.
As of early 2025, armed miners had taken over nine forest reserves; five remained under their control by October.
The reserves hardest hit include Apamprama, Oda River, Offin Shelterbelt, Tano Anwia, and Tano Nimri.
The communiqué further noted that some foresters have lost their lives or sustained severe injuries while attempting to prevent illegal mining activities.
While commending the government for revoking about 300 small-scale mining licences and initiating legislative reforms, GIF argued that some existing policies continue to impede progress.
The Institute criticised the February directive against burning excavators in forest reserves, describing it as counterproductive since seized equipment often returns to illegal mining sites.
Consequently, GIF is calling for the restoration of on-site destruction of excavators and other machinery used for illegal mining in protected forests, insisting that the law already permits such action and that it remains the most effective deterrent.
The communiqué also identified greed, political interference, foreign involvement, inadequate enforcement, and corruption as persistent drivers of illegal mining.
GIF condemned the recent attack on the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) at Hwidiem, which resulted in the escape of arrested miners and the release of impounded vehicles.
The Institute praised the security agencies for their swift response and reaffirmed its support for efforts to transform the Forestry Commission into a paramilitary body capable of confronting armed mining groups.
The AGM also called for expanded forest restoration efforts and intensified public education on the impacts of illegal mining, urging the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to make the campaign a national priority.
