Declare Atewa Forest Reserve a national park now -Eco-Conscious Citizens to Mahama

Atewa Forest Reserve at crossroads Pressure mounts on Mahama to Save Ghana’s ecological lifeline
The call to protect the Atewa Forest Reserve has gained renewed urgency, with environmental advocacy group Eco-Conscious Citizens urging President John Dramani Mahama’s administration to immediately declare the forest a National Park. At the launch of the Atewa Matters Campaign in Accra during this year’s World Reggae Day celebrations, the group warned that the future of one of Ghana’s most important ecological assets hangs in the balance. The campaign seeks to rally public support against illegal mining and renewed proposals to exploit bauxite deposits within the reserve. According to the organisation, the decision government takes today will determine whether future generations inherit a thriving forest ecosystem or another degraded landscape scarred by mining activities.

The Lifeline of Three Regions
For environmentalists, Atewa is far more than a forest. Stretching across Ghana’s Eastern Region, the reserve serves as the birthplace of three major rivers—the Birim, Densu and Ayensu, which provide drinking water to more than five million people across the Eastern, Central and Greater Accra regions. Beyond supplying water, the forest plays a critical role in regulating local climate, preventing soil degradation, reducing flooding, and supporting agriculture. The Environmental experts argue that once these natural systems are disrupted, the economic and social costs could far outweigh any short-term gains from mineral extraction.

Mining Threat Sparks Fresh Alarm
Coordinator of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, warned that plans to mine bauxite within the reserve would destroy fragile ecosystems, threaten endangered species and jeopardise critical water sources. She said Atewa is already under severe pressure from illegal mining activities, which continue to degrade portions of the forest and pollute nearby water bodies.
According to her, granting additional access for large-scale mining would accelerate environmental destruction and undermine Ghana’s climate resilience. For this reason, she insists the only lasting solution is to elevate Atewa’s protection status by declaring it a National Park.
“President Mahama must stamp his authority by declaring Atewa a National Park,” she urged.

The Atewa Matters Campaign
The newly launched Atewa Matters Campaign is designed to build stronger national support for protecting the forest while intensifying advocacy against illegal mining. Organisers say the initiative seeks to mobilise communities, civil society organisations, policymakers and young people to champion environmental conservation and restore the ecological integrity of the reserve.
The campaign also hopes to keep public attention firmly focused on the environmental consequences of unsustainable resource extraction.

Conservationists Call for Action, Not Promises
Supporting the campaign, National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Dr. Seth Appiah-Kubi, stressed that Atewa represents one of Ghana’s most valuable natural heritage sites and must be preserved for future generations.
He argued that protecting biodiversity today is an investment in national development, food security and climate resilience tomorrow. Environmental groups believe stronger legal protection would provide a more effective framework for safeguarding the reserve from destructive activities.

Ban single-use plastics to curb flooding, pollution -Eco-Conscious Citizens to gov’t
Beyond the campaign to save Atewa, Eco-Conscious Citizens renewed calls for government to impose a nationwide ban on single-use plastics.

Awula Serwah linked Ghana’s worsening flooding crisis to poor waste management and the widespread use of disposable plastics, which frequently clog drains and waterways.
Her comments followed the devastating June 29 floods that affected several parts of Accra and exposed persistent sanitation challenges. According to her, nearly 80 percent of the waste blocking drains consists of single-use plastics.
“We don’t need them. We can do without them. We need the political will to ban single-use plastics,” she stated.
She maintained that while improving waste collection remains important, Ghana must equally prioritise recycling and significantly reduce the volume of waste ending up at already overstretched landfill sites.

Tree Planting as Climate Action
As part of activities marking International Reggae Day, Eco-Conscious Citizens led a tree-planting exercise at the K.B. Asante Memorial Park in Accra.
The exercise symbolised the campaign’s broader message that restoring green spaces remains one of the most practical ways of strengthening environmental resilience. Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Dr. Hugh C. A. Brown, also encouraged homeowners and property developers to plant more trees within residential communities.
According to him, expanding urban tree cover can help reduce the impact of perennial flooding, improve air quality and create healthier communities.

A Defining Environmental Decision
The renewed campaign places fresh pressure on government to make a defining decision on the future of the Atewa Forest Reserve. For conservationists, declaring Atewa a National Park would not simply preserve biodiversity, it would secure water resources, strengthen climate resilience, protect livelihoods and reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to sustainable development.
As illegal mining continues to threaten one of the country’s richest ecosystems, environmental advocates argue that the time for consultations has passed.
Their message is clear: Save Atewa now or risk losing one of Ghana’s greatest natural treasures forever.