Stop surface mining at forest reserves -FWG

Accra, April 8, GNA - The Forest Watch Ghana (FWG) and the National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) on Monday called on government to institute measures to stop surface mining activities in the country's forest reserves.

They are also calling for a reform of the country's environmental impact assessment procedure to address the problems in the extractive sector, forest and the emerging oil industry. At a press conference in Accra, Mr. Kingsley Bekoe Ansah Coordinator of the FWG said the call followed the illegal surface mining activities of the Golden Star Resources Limited (GSRL) on the forest reserves of the Grumesa community in the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region. The residents in the Grumesa community are predominantly farmers and depend largely on environmental resources such as land, streams and forests for their livelihood. Mr Ansah said the activities of the mining company had compounded the already precarious living conditions of the people. He said the company had failed to negotiate compensation packages for the residents whose farmlands had been affected, thereby leaving them to face harsh economic conditions. He said the company had been using police personnel to harass the residents who objected to the surface mining activities, a situation which implied that the company was in good terms with certain quarters at the corridors of power. He therefore, called on government to prevail on the GSRL to stop the destruction of crops and other livelihood needs of the residents until a proper agreement on compensation was reached. He also called on the GSRL to immediately end all forms of harassment and intimidation of the residents.