By Mavis Paintsil, Accra
Ghana is facing severe environmental consequences due to widespread illegal mining, with over 60,000 hectares of forest land destroyed in the southern part of the country alone in the past 17 years, according to the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI).
This destruction, equivalent to 84,000 football fields, has sparked concerns about the country’s ecosystem and future.
GSSTI Director, Dr. Joseph Tandoh, emphasizes the urgent need for action, citing the critical role forests play in providing essential ecosystem services. He calls for the implementation of the Tree for Life Afforestation programme to reclaim degraded forest lands and restore the country’s forest landscape.
The destruction caused by illegal mining, also known as galamsey, is exacerbated by inconsistent government policies, Dr. Tandoh notes.
He stresses the importance of planting more trees, geo-tagging them, and monitoring their progress to create carbon sinks and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Furthermore, Ghana is losing about 1.3 meters of its coastline every year, highlighting the need for comprehensive solutions and collaboration with other coastal countries.
Experts urge the government to prioritize space science and technology to address these environmental challenges, pointing to the potential benefits of planetary science in areas such as remote sensing, agriculture, and climate change studies.
The African Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences is working to build capacity in planetary and space science across Africa, recognizing the importance of leveraging space science for development and improving lives.
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