Illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has destroyed nearly 9,000 hectares of Ghana’s forest reserves, with more than 5,200 hectares lost over the past three years, according to the Forestry Commission.
A recent survey by the Commission indicates that the total area affected by illegal mining in forest reserves increased by 5,252.9 hectares between 2021 and 2024, bringing the overall impacted land to 8,923.8 hectares as of December 31, 2024.
The report further revealed that the Ashanti Region recorded the highest level of forest degradation, followed by the Western North Region, highlighting the growing pressure on some of the country’s most critical forest ecosystems.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Dr. Hugh Brown, attributed part of the increase to operational challenges, including the withdrawal of military support in anti-galamsey operations.
“The military was withdrawn on the 1st of November, and we were left to our own devices. We had to strengthen our rapid response teams quickly, sometimes putting them in situations where they were not well-equipped,” Dr. Brown said.
He also noted that Ghana’s current forest protection strategies remain outdated and require urgent modernization to effectively tackle illegal mining activities.
“We cannot continue protecting forests as we did in the 1920s and 1930s, when forest guards held cutlasses and patrolled boundaries to detect offences. There has been insufficient investment in modern protection measures,” he explained.
The Forestry Commission’s findings underscore the persistent challenge of safeguarding Ghana’s forest reserves as illegal mining continues to expand despite enforcement efforts.
Officials noted that addressing the problem will require stronger logistics, improved surveillance systems, and enhanced collaboration among security agencies and environmental authorities.
