Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has urged government to take steps to protect the country’s forest reserves from further mineral exploitation.

According to him, the devastation left in the wake of miners venturing into the country’s forest reserves are a threat to water bodies, and biodiversity in these areas.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he said the cost of mining to the environment and the wellbeing of individuals in mining communities far outweigh any benefits the country obtains from the sale of its minerals.

“You see, I think there is a reason why we believe that there is a reason why forest reserves are set up, first, to protect our watersheds, and also serve as places for biodiversity and even help us to regulate the climate where these areas are.

“So if you now think that you can mine your way out of unemployment, so you give out all areas of your land for mining, then you’re actually defeating the purpose for which reason these forests were set up.

And if you listen to Dr. Ashigbey and the former minister for lands, and very documented information on the degradation and the cost of mining to our environment, you’ll realise that if you look at the cost as against the benefit of the value we get from gold, it’s not really worth it,” he said.

He added that the government must take steps to protect forest reserves from further incursion.

“So we are saying that look, if you’re already mining in certain areas off reserve which has always been the pattern, there is no point we allowing people to go into our forest reserves which are actually protecting our water bodies, protecting our habitats for biodiversity and also helping us to deal with climate change.”

His call comes on the back of recent reports of babies born with serious defects in galamsey prone areas.

According to a pathologist studying the phenomenon, some babies are being born with extra limbs, missing genitals, missing eyes or wrongly positioned eyes, and the others are still born.

Professor Paul Opoku Sampene Ossei said this is directly as a result of the ingestion and inhalation of harmful toxins present in the soil and air as a direct consequence of galamsey and other mining activities in these areas.

He called for national action to address the situation before it worsens.