Forestry Commission, NAIMOS Team Up to Curb Illegal Mining In Forest Reserves
The Forestry Commission (FC) has teamed up with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) to intensify efforts to curb illegal mining within forest reserves across the country.
This follows a high-level engagement between the FC and a two-man delegation from NAIMOS led by its Director, Col. Kwame Appiah, to discuss partnership arrangements.
The meeting was aimed at providing updates on ongoing enforcement activities, developing rules of engagement and reporting procedures, and identifying strategies to strengthen collaboration.
The Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Dr Hugh Brown, thanked Col. Appiah for honouring the invitation to meet with the FC Management Team, describing the engagement as important in strengthening joint efforts to fight illegal mining in forest reserves.
Dr Brown explained the mandate of the Forestry Commission and said the meeting offered an opportunity for both institutions to openly discuss effective ways of protecting the country’s forest reserves.
Col. Appiah, on his part, expressed appreciation to the Chief Executive and explained that NAIMOS works with relevant institutions to fight illegal mining, protect natural resources and develop a common framework for tackling the menace.
As part of the engagement, the Operations Manager for Natural Forest at the Forest Services Division, Mr Michael Pentsil, made a presentation on behalf of the Forestry Commission on its mandate, vision and mission, the number of forest reserves and wildlife areas in the country, major causes of deforestation, and illegal mining as a security threat.
The presentation included 40-year satellite image changes of the Apraprama Forest Reserve as a case study and highlighted major challenges in forest protection.
Col. Appiah also presented NAIMOS’ operational approach to raiding forest reserves and water bodies to stop illegal mining. He said NAIMOS engages traditional authorities, political leaders and community members in affected areas before operations, giving illegal miners time to leave and stop their activities before enforcement begins.
He said NAIMOS works with other security agencies to enforce the law, with measures including requiring perpetrators to reclaim degraded areas, handing suspects over to the police for prosecution, destroying heavy earth-moving equipment and other tools found at illegal mining sites, and making offenders sign undertakings not to return. In some areas, security personnel are stationed to prevent miners from returning.
Col. Appiah cited challenges including issues relating to mining permits and boundaries, inadequate funding, interference from institutions and government officials, difficulties in accessing a drone team for aerial footage, and limited access to environmental specialists to assess affected areas.
The engagement featured an open session where participants asked questions, made suggestions and sought clarification.
Key areas discussed included identifying Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), working closely with Forestry Commission officials, sharing coordinates of affected areas with NAIMOS, creating a central database of NAIMOS operations, and establishing forest protection camps to accommodate NAIMOS personnel during operations.
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