Don’t haggle with our lungs, Achimota Forest

I am reliably informed, and gravely concerned, that the ruling government has declassified four strategic areas, amounting to 260.06 acres (105.25 hectares) of the Achimota Forest Reserve, a critical national treasure and lungs of Greater Accra. 

This unpatriotic act was done with Executive Instrument 234, the Forests (Cessation of Forest Reserve) (Amendment) Instrument, 2023. The government argues this decision was taken on “compassionate grounds” to relieve families that owned such lands before they were reserved.

While an interesting argument, overall, the decision is not only an affront to Ghana’s environmental legacy but a flagrant disregard for our constitution, and abandonment of our commitments to global environmental stewardship by the ruling government.

The Achimota Forest Reserve is more than a green space in Greater Accra; it is a living testament to our nation’s dedication to preserving biodiversity, combating climate change, and ensuring the well-being of future generations.

As our country grapples with unprecedented ecological destruction – e.g., from mining in forest reserves, cocoa farms and water bodies – your decision to declassify and partition the forest among political cronies is a betrayal of the principles the government has professed to uphold.

Declassifying

Declassifying over a quarter of the Achimota Forest is a direct shirking of duty by the government, a disregard of Article 41k of our constitution:

‘The exercise and enjoyment of rights and freedoms is inseparable from the performance of duties and obligations, and accordingly, it shall be the duty of every citizen to protect and safeguard the environment.” 

On current accounts, I am concerned that the government is sending the wrong message to several people eager to destroy our forests, cocoa farms, and water bodies for money. Put bluntly, the government is weaponising such people. 

It is essential to recall that our country has committed to climate action under various international agreements, pledging to reduce deforestation and conserve our natural resources.

 This includes the Paris Climate Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity. How can we, in good conscience, make such commitments on the global stage while simultaneously dismantling one of our most iconic conservation areas?

The Achimota Forest is not just any piece of land to be contested. It is a unique ecosystem that supports diverse flora and fauna. It serves as a critical carbon sink, absorbing carbon emissions from our bustling capital city, and providing a buffer against mounting climate change impacts, including heat stress in the city.

Additionally, it offers a sanctuary for city dwellers, an oxygen-rich lung that refreshes and rejuvenates people in the face of urban pollution. The significance of this forest cannot be overstated, and the impacts of chipping it away would be irreversible.

Decision

The government’s decision sends a troubling message to Ghanaians and the international community: that short-term political gains are valued above long-term environmental sustainability; that the interests of a few outweigh the well-being of millions; and that the government’s ill-famed penchant for destroying protected areas is boundless.

My work on simmering tensions around multiple forest reserves in several parts of Ghana leads me to strongly believe that by declassifying the Achimota Forest Reserve, the government is setting a dangerous precedent that threatens the integrity of all protected areas in Ghana.

 If we allow the Achimota Forest to be parcelled out and paved over, what will stop similar actions in other parts of the country? What will be left for the generations to come?

Joining multiple calls, including a petition from the Forestry Commission – mandated to manage our forest resources, I call on the government to reconsider and rescind this decision.

The ruling party still has the opportunity to correct this grave error and demonstrate true leadership by putting the environment above partisan interests. The opposition is watching. Ghanaians are watching. The world is watching.

Reverse the declassification of the Achimota Forest Reserve. Restore it to its full status as a protected area, and ensure it remains a symbol of our dedication to environmental stewardship for generations to come.

The writer is a Researcher – Land, Society and Governance Group, Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, University of Oxford, UK; Partnership for Agriculture, Conservation and Transformation (PACT), Ghana.