Environmental advocacy organisations have renewed calls on the government to elevate the Atewa Forest Reserve to national park status, warning that continued degradation of one of
The report indicates that environmental advocacy organisations have renewed calls on the government to elevate the Atewa Forest Reserve to national park status, warning that continued degradation of one of Ghana’s most ecologically significant forests poses a serious threat to water security, biodiversity and climate resilience.
It further notes that the appeal was made at the launch of the “Atewa Matters” campaign in Accra on Wednesday by Eco-Conscious Citizens, with support from Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape. The initiative seeks to mobilise public support for stronger legal protection of the forest reserve while drawing national attention to the increasing environmental pressures confronting the area.
Addressing participants, the National Coordinator of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, stated Ghana’s rapidly declining forest cover was contributing significantly to environmental disasters, including the recent flooding that affected parts of Accra.
She stated healthy forest ecosystems naturally retain and regulate rainwater, reducing surface runoff and helping to minimise the severity of floods.
Referring to the June 29 floods that claimed lives and caused widespread destruction in the capital, she stated the disaster underscored the consequences of unchecked environmental degradation.
Ms Serwah described the Atewa Forest Reserve as one of Ghana’s most valuable ecological assets, explaining that it serves as the source of the Birim, Densu and Ayensu rivers, which supply water to more than five million people.
Despite having been gazetted as a forest reserve more than a century ago, she noted that illegal mining and other human activities continue to threaten the forest’s unique biodiversity and critical watershed functions.
“We are committed to ensuring that Atewa regains its protected status. Declaring it a national park will help safeguard one of Ghana’s most important ecological assets,” she said.
Ms Serwah also appealed to the government to revoke Executive Instrument (EI) 144, which declassified about 361.50 acres of the Achimota Forest Reserve.
She argued that at a time when climate change and environmental degradation were placing increasing pressure on Ghana’s natural resources, the country should be expanding rather than shrinking its protected forest areas.
She recalled that sustained public advocacy contributed to the repeal of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which had permitted mining activities in forest reserves, expressing optimism that similar public mobilisation could lead to the withdrawal of EI 144.
She urged Ghanaians to lend their support to efforts aimed at securing national park status for the Atewa Forest.
The Chief of Nmai Dzorn, Okpelor Sowah, also appealed for greater public commitment to forest conservation, stressing that forests provide food, medicinal plants, livelihoods and environmental services that are indispensable to national development.
He warned that continued destruction of forest resources would jeopardise the welfare of future generations.
