48 forest reserves affected by galamsey, nine red zones cleared – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama says illegal mining has encroached on 48 of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves, with all nine reserves classified as red zones now cleared of miners and being prepared for reclamation.

Speaking at the Mining in Motion conference in Accra on Monday, October 19, the President said heavily armed illegal miners had occupied some of the affected areas, making it difficult for forest guards and enforcement officers to enter.

He explained that the nine reserves were designated as red zones because of the security risks posed by the illegal miners.

“We have 288 forest reserves, and of these forest reserves, 48 of them had been penetrated by illegal miners,” he said.

“And of the 48, 9 were declared red zones, which means the forest guards could not enter those reserves because the illegal miners were fully armed,” he added.

Mr Mahama said the government had since succeeded in removing illegal miners from all nine red zones, paving the way for efforts to restore the affected forest areas.

“I am happy to note that of those 9 red zones, we have cleared all of them of illegal miners, and are currently preparing those forest reserves for reclamation,” he said.

The President commended the personnel and other stakeholders involved in the anti-galamsey campaign for their efforts in regaining control of the affected reserves and preparing them for rehabilitation.

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