Illegal miners, sand winners, and herdsmen are having a field day in the Red Volta East and West Forest Reserves in the Nabdam and Bawku West Districts of the Upper East Region.

The once-protected reserves have come under serious threat as widespread illegal activities continue to destroy large portions of the forest, pollute the Red Volta River, and endanger wildlife species that depend on the ecosystem for survival.

While some illegal miners have pitched camp deep in the forest and are mining with impunity, some cattle herdsmen have also settled in the middle of the protected area, causing all manner of destruction.

Also, sand winning is also taking place along the banks of the river.

When Graphic Online visited the area last Friday, it was observed that the Red Volta River had now turned very dark brownish, suggesting a possible pollution within and in the upstream.

The reserve serves as a vital ecological buffer to the Red Volta River, which flows from neighbouring Burkina Faso through the Nabdam and Bawku West Districts into the White Volta.

Additionally, the reserve serve as a major corridor for free movement of herds of elephants between the Nazinga Reserve in Burkina Faso and Ghana.

However, the Forestry Commission is having a tough time dealing with the situation due to  logistical constraints and inadequate staffing. 

These challenges, according to officials, make it difficult to effectively monitor and patrol the vast forest areas, thereby giving illegal operators room to continue their destructive activities.

Threat 

The Deputy Upper East Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Mark Adu Gamfi told Graphic Online’s Mohammed Fugu that the level of destruction could have consequences on biodiversity and the river.

He indicated that through intelligence-led operations, the Commission had so far arrested 19 individuals engaged in various environmental crimes within the reserve. 

The suspects, he said, have since been remanded into police custody by the Bolgatanga Circuit Court to assist with further investigations.

Challenges 

Mr Gamfi explained that the reserve was very vast and given the limited logistics and personnel, it was very difficult for them to patrol the entire protected area to flush out the perpetrators who were often armed.

"Because of the invasion of the forest, it is destroying the habitat of the elephants, which often compel them to stray into people’s farms. They are sometimes shot and killed for destroying farms and properties," he said.

Background 

The Red Volta East and West Forest Reserve form part of a network of forest reserves along the valleys of the Red and White Volta rivers in the northern-savanna transitional zone of Ghana. 

The vegetation is largely savanna woodland with gallery forests along the river corridors (the Red Volta, White Volta). 

These forest reserves are key elephant migratory corridor in Ghana and West Africa as the ecosystem supports the movement of herds of the savanna elephant between Ghana and neighbouring Burkina Faso. 

The reserve is under heavy threat due to encroachment, illegal mining, sand winning, cattle grazing, agricultural clearing and other human-driven activities which degrade the forest, river corridors and wildlife habitat. 

Given its significance for elephants and biodiversity, this degradation poses serious conservation risks, including increased human–elephant conflict.