Award-winning environmental journalist with JoyNews, Erastus Asare Donkor, has cautioned that repealing Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 without robust enforcement of existing mining laws will do little to curb the destruction of Ghana’s forests.

His comments come amid mounting public pressure and a national campaign urging the government to repeal L.I. 2462 — a regulation widely criticised for enabling mining in protected forest reserves.

Speaking at the JoyNews National Dialogue on Repealing L.I. 2462 on Thursday, May 8, Mr. Asare Donkor warned that unless legal reforms are accompanied by strict and consistent enforcement, the country will merely return to the status quo.

“Repealing L.I. 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.

He cited examples of forest reserves such as Offin Shelterbelt, Abrewa ne Nkran, and Subri, where illegal miners, previously flushed out, have returned with excavators to wreak further environmental havoc. “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 added.

“They don’t have any license. They just want to go in there with excavators and destroy the forest for gold. And many of them, the gold goes straight into their pockets — the state doesn’t benefit. No taxes, no revenue. Just destruction.”

Mr Asare Donkor also drew attention to 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 concluded by urging stakeholders to prioritise enforcement mechanisms alongside any legislative changes, warning that without it, Ghana’s forests and water bodies will continue to suffer irreversible damage.