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Ghana: Protect Forests from Mining
AFRICA ACTION
Africa Policy E-Journal
May 28, 2003 (030528)
Ghana: Protect Forests from Mining
(Reposted from sources cited below)
This posting contains (1) the May 8 declaration from Ghana's
National Coalition of Civil Society Groups against Mining in Forest
Reserves, (2) a press release by Global Response, one of the
international environmental organizations supporting the action by
Ghanaian groups, and (3) links for additional information. The
Ghanaian government is expected to introduce new legislation in
June opening up previously protected forest reserves. One of the
major companies expected to invest is the Colorado-based Newmont
Mining Corporation, Protesters earlier this month demonstrated at
the company's annual meeting against the company's pressure to
relax environmental regulations in Ghana.
The move comes at the same time that the United Nations Forum on
Forests is meeting in Geneva to promote "the management,
conservation, and sustainable development of all kinds of forests."
A report prepared for that meeting says that undervaluing the
economic worth of forests causes governments around the world to
lose some $5 billion a year in potential taxes and royalties.
According to a report by Inter Press Service on April 2, 2003, a
yet unpublished study by the World Bank's internal Operations
Evaluation Department on assistance to extractive industries in
Chile, Ecuador, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, and Tanzania
concludes that the bank's push to finance investment and encourage
private sector participation in extractive industries is more
likely to "lead to bad development outcomes when governance is
poor" for "many if not most of the bank's clients." The internal
bank study criticizes the agency for inadequately analyzing risks
and benefits of such investments.
[In another development concerning a U.S. mining company and Ghana,
negotiations are taking place this week to resolve an ongoing
dispute between the Ghanaian government and Houston-based Kaiser
Aluminum. Kaiser Aluminum is still paying Ghana the rate for
electricity negotiated under a 50-year contract in 1962, while the
cost of electricity is now much greater.
See http://allafrica.com/stories/200305271005.html]
+++++++++++++++++end summary/introduction+++++++++++++++++++++++
DECLARATION:
Campaign Against Mining in Ghana's Forest Reserves
By: National Coalition of Civil Society Groups Against Mining in
Forest Reserves
7-8th May 2003, Accra
Mr Chairman, Members of the press Colleagues Ladies and gentlemen
I am happy to make this presentation on behalf of the National
Coalition of Civil Society Groups against Mining in Ghana's forest
reserves. The presentation I am about to make focuses on concerns
we as a coalition have about national decision-making efforts for
mining in Ghana's forest reserves. Knowing that we are all
interested in the sustainable development of our natural resources
we are hopeful that by the end of the presentation many would see
our campaign as justified and worthy of support.
The Government of Ghana has declared her intention to release
portions of Ghana's closed forest reserves for mining. Five mining
companies are already lined up for mining leases to exploit mineral
resources in the forest reserves. Therefore we the Civil Society
Coalition against mining in forest reserves are concerned about
this decision by the government and we call on her to withdraw the
decision and to revoke those mining leases if already granted. We
believe that the decision to release portions of the country's
forest reserves is just an entry point for opening up the entire
forest reserves to mining. The decision does not only undermine the
significant role that forest reserves play in the economic,
environmental and social development of a people and their country
but also contradicts the government's own policy on natural
resource conservation.
The forest reserves in question include : Subri River Forest
Reserve, a globally important bio-diversity area which is also the
largest forest reserve in the country. It is also a critical
watershed between major rivers -Rivers Bonsa and Pra. Others are
the Supuma Shelterbelt; Opon Mansi Forest Reserve in the Western
Region; Tano-Suraw and Suraw Extension also in the Western region;
Ajenjua Bepo Forest Reserve in the Eastern region; Cape Three
Points Forest Reserve in the Western region and the Atewa Range
Forest Reserve in the Eastern region.
Chirano Goldmines Limited, Satelite Goldfields Limited, Nevsun/AGC,
Birim/AGC and Newmont Ghana Limited are the companies fronting to
mine in these reserves.
Forests reserves have important environmental and ecological
linkages. They are linked to water and soil resources, genetic
resources of plants and animals and to food production and food
security. In particular they constitute a major source of fresh
water bodies for domestic and industrial use and enhance local
climatic conditions for agricultural production. In Ghana most
freshwater bodies take their source from forested areas. For
example, rivers Ankobra and Suraw take their source from the
Tano-Suraw forest reserve, which also protects river Tano that
passes through it. Clearly, if this reserve is being considered for
mining then we are being confronted with serious livelihood and
environmental consequences in a much larger magnitude. Forets
reserves are also important to the economic and social- cultural
relationship of rural communities and the nation as a whole. They
create jobs, provide health and food security and help in the
cultural identity of a people. It is for these and many other
important reasons that Ghana Government has committed herself to
several international conventions and has also enacted various
legislation to protect and conserve forest and forest resources.
In spite of the important role that forest reserves play they have
been undergoing qualitative and quantitative deterioration over the
years. Already, much of the original vegetation of the country has
been removed or considerably deteriorated. The size of existing
forests and forestry resources and their adequacy for supplying
critical goods and environmental influences necessary for the
continued viability of local production is dwindling year after
year. The nation's total forest cover has reduced from the 8.2
million hectares around 1900 to less than 1.6 million hectares as
at now, which is even less than the initial 1.76 million hectares
reserved as permanent forest estates. Out of the 1.6 million
hectares, only 32,000 hectares representing 2% of the remaining
forest reserves is said to be in excellent condition.
The government's decision to open up the forest reserves for mining
is influenced by the demands of the Chamber of Mines who represent
the interest of the mining industry based on their narrow economic
benefits and not based on a proper assesment of the environmental
and social costs to the nation. Proponents for mining in forest
reserves are hiding behind what they call production zones within
the forest reserves to back their claim. Clearly, it is hard to
believe that mining is one of the activities that constitute
productive activity in forest reserves.
Mining in forest reserves will aggravate the already alarming rate
of forest degradation in the country and wreak havoc on freshwater
systems and watersheds, which are already global scarce
commodities, as well as the entire ecosystem and biodiversity.
Mining in forest reserves also contravenes the principles
underlining the establishment of forest reserves in Ghana. The 1994
Forest and Wildlife Policy of Ghana aims at `conservation and
sustainable development of the nation's forest and wildlife
resources for the maintenance of environmental quality and
perpetual flow of optimum benefits to all segments of society'.
Mining especially surface mining in forest reserves have no place
in this policy objective because surface mining does not conserve,
sustain the use of nor preserve biological diversity, water
resources and the environment. By removing the entire forest
biomass (plants and animals) biodiversity is lost, water cycle
function of the forests is lost, local climate for agricultural
production is seriously distorted, headwaters of streams and rivers
get vanished with consequent distorted effects on domestic and
industrial water supplies even in remote settlements. If these are
some of the adverse effects of surface mining in forest reserves of
which Ghana seeks to protect through Forest Certification, then a
clear contravention is established by any attempt to permit mining
in forest reserves.
The decision to permit mining in forest reserves undermines the
reasons behind the establishment of statutory bodies such as the
Forestry Commission and international conventions which Ghana is
signatory. Ghana is signatory to the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) and the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD)
which all aim to conserve natural resources for sustainable
development. If the country is signatory to all these conventions
that seeks to protect natural resources including forest reserves
and forest products and yet is permitting mining especially surface
mining in forest reserves then the Government's concern about
general environmental degradation is mere rhetoric.
We are deeply concerned about the lukewarm attitude successive
governments in Ghana have accorded the forestry sector which
unfortunately has allowed so much damage to the country's closed
forest estates. This same lukewarm attitude is being used as an
excuse to permit mining in forest reserves. For instance Honourable
Kwadwo Adjei-Darko the outgone Minister of Mines once indicated
that `...some of these areas that they are calling forest reserves
are only on paper as forest reserves.' The logical implication of
this statement is that the forest reserves are degraded therefore
we as a nation should intensify the degradation by permitting
surface mining in the forest reserves.
Demands:
On the basis of the foregoing we the National Coalition of Civil
Society Groups against Mining in forest reserves make the following
demands:
- That Government should withdraw her decision to allow mining
in forest reserves and also revoke all mining leases on forest
reserves if already granted.
- Government should enact a clear cut regulatory framework that
prohibits mining in forest reserves.
- Government should demonstrate the political will and
commitment for the protection and conservation of the country's
forest estates by strengthening the capacity of state institutions
responsible for the protection and management of these forests
estates.
- We call on the World Bank Group (WBG), the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and other Multinational Financial Institutions
not to finance or support the Ghana Government and the five
companies to carry out mining in forest reserves in the country.
- We also call on the public and the media to echo our demands
and support our course.
Organisations
- Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Afr)
- Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL)
- Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM)
- League of Environmental Journalist (LEJ)
- Food First International and Action Network (FIAN)
- Friends of the Earth Ghana, (FOE-Ghana)
- Green Earth Organisation
- Abantu for Development
- Ever Green Club of Ghana
- Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA)
- Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU)
- Centre for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development
(CERES)
- Federation of Environmental Journalist (FEJ)
Global Response Backs Ghana Citizens' Plea to Uphold Conservation
Laws
May 13, 2003
CONTACT:
Paula Palmer, Program Director
Global Response
P.O. Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306 USA
TEL: 303-444-0306; FAX: 303-449-9794
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.globalresponse.org
On May 8, a coalition of 14 environmental and human rights
organizations in Ghana launched a campaign to rebuff five powerful
mining companies that are trying to muscle their way into Ghana's
protected forest reserves. The National Coalition of Civil Society
Groups Against Mining in Forest Reserves argues that these big
companies should not be pressuring Ghana to change its conservation
laws.
Citing Ghana's 1994 Forest and Wildlife Policy and its ratification
of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to
Combat Desertification, the Coalition is demanding that Ghanaian
government officials and the mining companies uphold existing
protections for the forest reserves, where mining has never been
permitted. It also issued an appeal to the international community
to "echo our demands and support our course."
The Coalition charges that industry giant Newmont Mining
Corporation, Chirano Goldmines Limited, Satelite Goldfields
Limited, Nevsun/AGC and Birim/AGC are pressuring Ghanaian
authorities to open the forest reserves to mining.
Global Response, an international network for environmental action
and education, is launching a letter-writing campaign, urging
citizens around the world to write letters to Ghana's president and
Newmont Mining Corporation's CEO. "Letters from thousands of
citizens will show Ghana that the world is watching, and that we
expect the government to enforce its environmental protection
laws," said Global Response program director Paula Palmer.
The Boulder, Colorado-based organization led protests and street
theater at Newmont's annual shareholders' meeting in Denver on May
7.
"Newmont projects an image as an industry leader in responsible
mining practices," said Palmer, "but right now Newmont is
pressuring Ghana to relax its environmental protection laws. That
is unacceptable behavior for an industry leader."
Coalition member Daniel Owusu-Koranteng of the Wassa Association of
Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) has already seen too much
environmental destruction and human suffering from mining. WACAM
is demanding clean-up and compensation after two disastrous cyanide
spills from gold mines in 2001. Recalling the toxic spills that
killed fish, crabs and birds in rivers and marshlands and left
thousands of villagers without safe water for drinking and
agriculture, Owusu-Koranteng says, "Ghana's precious forest
reserves must not suffer this fate."
"Mining in forest reserves will aggravate the already alarming rate
of forest degradation in the country and wreak havoc on freshwater
systems and watersheds, .as well as the entire ecosystem and
biodiversity," the Coalition stated. Ghana's Ministry of Lands and
Forestry reports that a mere 2 percent of the country's original
forests remain intact. These savanna and tropical rain forests
have over 700 different tree species and provide critical habitat
for many endangered species, including rare primates and the forest
elephant.
Links for Additional Information
Third World Network Africa
http://twnafrica.org
Bank Information Center on Ghana Mining Policy
http://www.bicusa.org/africa/ghanaminingpolicy.htm
Rainforest Web - Ghana links
http://www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Regions/Africa/Ghana
"Mining Has Done Ghana No Good"
in Public Agenda (Ghana), May 8, 2003
http://allafrica.com/stories/200305130218.html
"Whither the Mining Industry"
in Public Agenda (Ghana), May 12, 2003
http://allafrica.com/stories/200305140063.html
"Forest Cover Slumps from 8.2 to 1.6 million Hectares"
in Accra Mail, May 22, 2003
http://allafrica.com/stories/200305220076.html
UN Forum on Forests
http://www.un.org/esa/forests
UN to Consider Groundbreaking Report on Forests
http://allafrica.com/stories/200305271194.html
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Date distributed (ymd): 030528
Region: West Africa
Issue Areas: +economy/development+
The Africa Action E-Journal is a free information service
provided by Africa Action, including both original
commentary and reposted documents. Africa Action provides this
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international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
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