GAAS Demands Repeal of LI 2462 and Total Ban on Mining in Forest Reserves

Published June 18, 2025

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is calling for the immediate repeal of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462—the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022—and the issuance of a binding presidential policy that permanently prohibits all forms of mining in Ghana’s forest reserves.

In a petition submitted to the President and Parliament, the Academy expressed grave environmental and constitutional concerns over the legislative instrument. GAAS described LI 2462 as a “legal, environmental, and constitutional failure,” arguing that it confers excessive discretionary power on the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and the President—powers which, under Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, properly rest with the Minerals Commission and Parliament.

Criticizing the government’s recent decision to amend only Regulation 3(2) of the instrument, GAAS emphasized that a partial revision falls short of the decisive action required. “A forest reserve is not a mine-in-waiting,” the Academy stated. It further warned that authorising mining in protected forest areas undermines their core purpose, endangers biodiversity, contaminates water bodies, and violates Ghana’s commitments under key international environmental treaties, including the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

GAAS also cited Ghana’s poor track record in enforcing mining regulations, cautioning that legitimizing mining in ecologically sensitive zones will accelerate environmental degradation and deepen the country’s climate vulnerabilities. “Our forests are not just natural spaces—they are our last line of defence against climate change, water insecurity, and biodiversity loss,” the statement stressed.

The Academy’s Key Demands:
• A full repeal of LI 246.
• A definitive and binding presidential directive that bans all mining-related activities (exploration, prospecting, extraction) in forest reserves.
• The immediate halt of all ongoing mining and prospecting operations within these protected areas.

GAAS concluded its petition with a powerful message to national leaders and the general public:“Let us not be the generation that traded away Ghana’s forests for short-term profits. Let us be the generation that stood firm and said: our forests are not for sale.”