By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The government says it has successfully reclaimed nine major forest reserves that had been virtually lost to illegal miners and criminal gangs, a development officials describe as a turning point in the fight against galamsey.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed this on GTV’s Breakfast Show on September 24, 2025. He noted that despite the presence of security forces in the affected forests for nearly two years, gangs had entrenched themselves and resisted authority until a decisive joint operation drove them out.
“I’m very happy that, as we speak today, we have reclaimed those red zones. Occasionally, they will try to go back, as they did in the last few weeks, but we are determined to protect them,” the minister assured.
Out of Ghana’s 88 gazetted forest reserves, 44 have been declared heavily degraded. Nine of them, dubbed the “red zones”- had become no-go areas for law enforcement. The Forestry Commission and partner agencies reported that thousands of hectares of forest and several river systems in the Western, Ashanti and Eastern regions had been compromised.
The minister explained that the red zones had been taken over to such an extent that state authority was practically absent, with water bodies in and around the reserves polluted beyond permissible treatment levels.
Forests serve as the cradle for over 80% of Ghana’s water sources. With illegal miners felling trees, diverting rivers and contaminating streams with mercury and silt, water treatment plants in some areas recorded turbidity levels between 5,000 and 12,000 units, far above the recommended threshold of 500.
Environmentalists warn that if such degradation continues, entire communities could face long-term water shortages and biodiversity loss.
Mr Buah said permanent security structures will now be stationed in all red zones to prevent a resurgence of illegal mining. He also reiterated the government’s broader commitment to environmental restoration through reforestation initiatives such as the Tree for Life programme.
“Protecting these forests is protecting our very survival as a country,” he said, calling on Ghanaians to support the fight against galamsey.
