Galamseyers back inside Subri Forest – Journalist laments laxity in law enforcement

Award-winning environmental journalist, Erastus Asare Donkor, has called for a robust enforcement of existing mining laws, as stakeholders press for the repeal of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462.

He made this call following a revelation he made during the JoyNews’ National Dialogue on Repealing LI 2462, on Thursday, May 8, 2025, during which he stated that some illegal miners had returned to the recently raided Subri Forest to continue with their nefarious activities.

“Despite series of raids by joint military taskforce to rid the forest of miners, I’m getting concrete information that another group of illegal miners have entered the Subri Forest and have taken portions of the areas and are actively mining.

“The problem is not just about what the law allows — it’s about the illegal invasion of forest reserves that is already happening, with or without a license,” he said.

Asare Donkor was particularly alarmed over the staggering environmental cost of illegal mining, stressing the difficulty and expense of land reclamation.

“You know how much it costs to reclaim an acre of land? Millions of dollars — and even then, you can’t fully restore it to its original state. It takes years, if not decades,” he lamented.

He has, consequently, called for deliberate efforts by the government to activate the laws to severely punish defaulters as a measure to curb the canker.

“Repealing LI 2462 without the requisite, strict enforcement of the laws will just take us back to zero. If we repeal the law today and we are not able to enforce the law very well and prevent the illegalities, then we are back to square one,” he said.

VPO/AE

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