Correspondence from Frank Addo Aboagye, Bono Region For years, some communities in the Bono Region have mounted a strong and spirited resistance against illegal mining () a notorious activity that has destroyed several communities leading to biodiversity loss, land degradation, and loss of farmland, reducing the potential for agriculture and threatening food security.
This spirited community-led resistance etched on courageous protests, demonstrations, and grassroots initiatives continues to gain momentum as residents and their local leaders work hand-in-hand to ward off galamseyers who are seen as potential threats to the region's water bodies, farmlands, and forest cover.
At the forefront of this community-led resistance is a border community called Atuna, a major cocoa, cashew, and food hub in the Jaman South Municipality of the Bono Region where the chiefs and people have declared the area as a "No " zone.
To them, the fight against galamsey is not just an environmental issue but a matter of economic survival for the residents, who are predominantly farmers, as their way of life will directly be threatened by illegal miners in their lure for gold.