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Government’s decision to carry out large scale bauxite mining in the ancient Atewa Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region continues to face resistance from local and international environmentally friendly organisations.

A Rocha Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation leading the crusade has reaffirmed its utmost disapproval at the government’s decision and called for the Atewa forest reserve to be exempted from the plan.

Dr. Seth Appiah-Kubi, the National Director of A Rocha Ghana, is demanding the government and its Chinese counterpart, Sinohydro to rather turn the Atewa forest into a National Park and a thriving tourism centre to improve its protection and sustainability.

Speaking at a News Conference jointly organised by A Rocha Ghana and the World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Centre in Accra, Dr. Appiah-Kubi bemoaned the attempt by the government to expose the Atewa forest which had local and international significance to total destruction by the Chinese company.

“Atewa forest provides water to over five million Ghanaians. It is the headwater for three key rivers in Ghana namely; the Densu river which flows into the Weija Dam that supplies water to millions of inhabitants in Western part of Accra, the Ayensu river which flows all the way to Swedru and Winneba in the Central Region and the Birim river which also supplies water to the Pra river for the Akyem people and flows to the Western Region where it enters the sea”.

He emphasised that the Atewa forest because of its unique nature, was a habitat to important plants and animal species to the extent that some flora and fauna species could only be found in Atewa.

He urged the government to ponder on the long term effects the bauxite mining in the Atewa forest would bring to the people, communities and the nation at large and rescind its decision.