Illegal mines threaten biodiversity and drinking water in Ghana’s Atewa Forest
Illegal miners are entering Ghana’s Atewa Forest Reserve on motorbikes despite the presence of Forestry Commission guards. Mining activity has removed forest cover, created excavation pits and left behind equipment and temporary camps. The source reports that the activity is also associated with muddy and polluted conditions inside the reserve, which is in eastern Ghana.
Scores of illegal miners reportedly enter the Atewa Forest Reserve in eastern Ghana each day on motorbikes, despite efforts by a handful of Forestry Commission guards to keep them out.
Inside the reserve, the miners have stripped forest cover and excavated pits. Abandoned equipment and temporary camps mark their activity, while the source describes muddy and polluted conditions.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What resources are available to the Forestry Commission guards responsible for protecting the reserve?
How are the mining activities affecting people who rely on water connected to the forest?
Who benefits financially from the mining, and who bears the environmental costs?
What conditions would be required to prevent miners from returning to the reserve?
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GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · AUGUST 2026