The Forestry Commission (FC) and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) have begun discussions to strengthen collaboration in the fight against illegal mining in forest reserves across the country.
The development was disclosed by the Forestry Commission on its official Facebook page, following a meeting between its management and a two-member NAIMOS delegation led by the Director, Col. Kwame Appiah.
The meeting, according to the Commission, was aimed at providing updates on ongoing enforcement activities, developing rules of engagement and reporting procedures, and identifying strategies to strengthen cooperation between the two institutions.
The Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Dr Hugh Brown, thanked Col. Appiah for accepting the invitation to engage the Commission’s management team.
He said the meeting was important to strengthening collaboration between the two institutions in the fight against illegal mining in forest reserves.
Dr Brown also explained the mandate of the Forestry Commission and said the engagement provided an opportunity for both institutions to openly discuss effective ways of protecting the country’s forest reserves.
For his part, Col. Appiah expressed appreciation to the Chief Executive for the engagement, saying NAIMOS worked with relevant institutions to combat illegal mining, protect the country’s natural resources and develop a common framework for tackling the menace.
Enforcement operations
The Operations Manager for Natural Forest at the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission, Mr Michael Pentsil, made a presentation on the Commission’s mandate, vision and mission.
He also highlighted the number of forest reserves and wildlife areas in the country, the major causes of deforestation and illegal mining as a security threat.
The presentation included 40-year satellite imagery showing changes in the Apraprama Forest Reserve as a case study, as well as some of the major challenges confronting the protection of the country’s forests.
Col. Appiah also presented NAIMOS’ operational approach to raiding forest reserves and water bodies to stop illegal mining activities.
He said prior to enforcement operations, NAIMOS engaged traditional authorities, political leaders and community members in affected areas.
According to him, the engagements gave illegal miners enough time to leave the forest reserves and discontinue their activities before enforcement operations commenced.
He said NAIMOS also worked with other security agencies in affected areas to enforce the law.
Measures taken, he said, included requiring perpetrators to reclaim degraded areas, handing suspects over to the police for prosecution, destroying heavy earth-moving equipment and other tools found at illegal mining sites, and requiring offenders to sign undertakings not to return to illegal mining activities.
Col. Appiah added that security personnel were stationed in some areas to monitor the situation and prevent illegal miners from returning to the sites.
Operational challenges
Col. Appiah identified several challenges confronting NAIMOS, including issues relating to mining permits and boundaries, inadequate funding and interference from institutions and government officials.
He also cited difficulties in accessing drone teams to obtain aerial footage and limited access to environmental specialists to assess and survey areas affected by illegal mining.
The presentations were followed by an open session during which participants asked questions, made suggestions and sought clarification on various issues.
Key areas discussed included the identification of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), closer collaboration with Forestry Commission officials, sharing coordinates of affected areas with NAIMOS and the creation of a central database of NAIMOS operations.
The participants also discussed the establishment of forest protection camps to provide accommodation for NAIMOS personnel during operations.
The Forestry Commission said the engagement would strengthen the partnership between the two institutions and contribute to more effective efforts to combat illegal mining and protect Ghana’s forest reserves.
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