Profile – Tano-Offin Forest Reserve, Ghana

Where is it?

Ghana, West Africa

What metal is being mined?

Al (Aluminium)

What companies are involved?

According to ForeignPolicy.com, Chinese interest is driving the mining of Bauxite in these important forests:

“As part of a controversial $2 billion deal struck with China in 2018, Ghana has set its sights on mining the forests of the Upper Guinean Forest, a delicate tropical forest that is vital to the planet’s carbon dioxide cycle and is home to thousands of plant and animal species, including forest elephants, chimpanzees, leopards, and hippopotamus.

The Chinese firm Sinohydro will build the infrastructure on these sites, and Ghana will pay back the costs with proceeds from its sales of refined bauxite.”

What’s at stake?

Many important plant and animal species found only in this part of the world, including several rare bird species on the IUCN Red List.  Tano-Offin supports several nationally rare species such as Columba unicincta (Ayep Pigeon), Cercococcyx olivinus (Olive Long Tailed Cuckoo) and Tockus camurus (Dwarf Hornbill – see below). A total of 110 bird species were recorded in a recent two-week survey.

Bauxite mining has also been blamed for polluting of important river-systems making the water undrinkable. There is also a negative impact on other land-use such as cacao farming.

Calao pygmée. Famille des Bucérotidés. Ordre : Bucérotiformes

Where can I find out more?

ghanawildlifesociety.org

http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tano-offin-forest-reserve-iba-ghana

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