By Alex Ababio
SAMREBOI, Ghana – Thirteen-year-old Kwaku pulls a small 500 ml water-bottle and a flask from a black polythene bag. He opens the flask and removes tiny balls of mercury wrapped in cling-film(Plastic Sachet), revealing a silvery liquid that glints harshly in the sun. It is the mercury he uses daily in his work: processing gold.
Two years ago he dropped out of primary school to help his mother care for his three younger siblings. His childhood is now spent crushing ore and burning mercury-gold amalgam over open fires, inhaling poisonous vapour that threatens irreversible brain damage.
“I use my hand to mix and spread the mercury in the ore,” Kwaku whispers. “Then I burn it on my own, wherever I get fire.” He does not know that the invisible vapours he breathes are a ticking time-bomb: scientists link them to heart defects, cognitive impairment and a slow, debilitating decline.
Kwaku’s story is one painful thread in a larger national crisis.
At Manso Abore, in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region, a 29-year-old man named Akwasi told our team that he once used his own teeth to tear plastic sachets, emptying mercury into ore to process gold. That is how our on-the-ground investigation by Ghanaian Watch unfolded: revealing how the relentless scramble for gold is systematically poisoning Ghana’s children — and pushing the last of its chimpanzees to the brink of extinction.
This image was created using AI and does not depict an actual scene.
How badly endangered are our chimps — and why are they dying?
In the dense, biodiverse Tano-Nimiri forests of Western Ghana, an ominous silence is falling. It is the silence left by the disappearance of the chimpanzee. “When we conducted our national survey, we found only 34 chimpanzees in the Bia National Park,” says Richard Ofori-Amanfo, Park Manager of the Wildlife Division in Takoradi, Western Region. “We found about five in the Krokosua Forest Reserve and about three in Goaso. When you put them all together, the population will not exceed 60.” , he told Ghanaian Watch
Ghana is one of only eight West African nations still home to those Western chimpanzees, in fact their population was estimated to be 300 in recent past , but their habitat is collapsing. Ofori-Amanfo points to the culprit: “The intensity and widespread illegal mining (galamsey) in recent times have become a major factor hindering our efforts to reintroduce endangered subspecies like chimpanzees.
Beyond mining, chimpanzees face multiple other threats that create a perfect storm pushing them toward extinction:
Hunting and Ritual Killing
“Previously our research showed that some hunters also killed these animals,” Ofori-Amanfo said. Although subsistence hunting has decreased, he added, “Some few hunters in recent times kill the chimpanzees to use them for ritual purposes.” Younger hunters are generally more educated and reluctant to kill chimpanzees, but greed and superstition continue to fuel the practice .
The Human Dimension: A Stark Warning on Ghana’s Rapidly Disappearing Chimpanzee Habitats :
Dr. Jessica Junker, a leading primatologist who studies great apes across Africa, gives a serious warning. She explains that Ghana’s chimpanzees now live in “small, highly fragmented patches of habitat” and that most of the land where they once lived “has been converted to farmland or used for industrial agriculture and mining.”
“The crisis facing chimpanzees is not only about forests and wildlife. It is also about economic decisions, development needs, and social issues. Farmers clear land for crops, mining companies dig for minerals, and communities struggle to survive.
So conservation must look at human needs too. Research on illegal hunting shows that poverty alone does not explain why people hunt. Issues like lack of power, prestige, voice, and the ability to shape one’s future also matter.
True conservation requires addressing these deeper human needs so that communities and chimpanzees can both benefit.” ,she stressed
Conservation in Action: Can Ghana’s Wildlife Division Win the Fight to Protect Its Last Chimpanzees?
Despite these challenges, Ghana’s Wildlife Division continues to fight for the species. The Division runs special protection programs in areas like Bia, Ankasa, and Goaso, with increased patrols and surveillance. Officials also visit nearby communities to educate people on the importance of protecting chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees play an important role in science. “When we want to test the drug or medicine efficacy on humans, chimpanzees are the first animals that you can use to test the drug or use it in clinical trials,” Ofori-Amanfo explained.
Chimpanzees are ecological engineers and key seed dispersers: by feeding on a wide range of fruit and moving seeds across forest patches they help regenerate canopy and sustain tree diversity — functions that underpin forest health and resilience.
Their close resemblance to humans has also reduced local appetite for chimpanzee bush meat. “The majority of the consumers are hesitant because when they identify the meat to be that of chimpanzee they will not eat it because they perceive the chimpanzees as very much resembling humans.”
“We are doing action plan to ensure we protect all the chimpanzees in the Western part of Africa,” said Ofori-Amanfo. One idea being discussed is translocation—moving chimpanzees back to old forest areas if those habitats can be restored.
The Translocation Trap: The Hard Truth Behind Relocating Chimpanzees in Crisis Zones :
Moving chimpanzees from one place to another may sound like a solution, but Dr. Junker says clearly that it is not.
She states, “I would not consider translocation a conservation goal for chimpanzees. At best, it may serve as a last-resort emergency measure in situations where chimpanzees face imminent death, such as when habitat is permanently lost due to dam construction or major land conversion.”
She lists several problems:
Behavioral problems: “Chimpanzees are highly territorial, and introducing individuals into areas already occupied by other groups can lead to severe aggression, injury, or death.” encroachment
Lack of suitable space: “The only ecologically viable destination would be unoccupied but suitable habitat, which is exceptionally rare in Ghana given the extent of habitat loss, fragmentation, and human.”
High risks: “Translocation carries multiple serious risks, including: extreme stress and mortality during capture, transport, and release, breakdown of social structure if groups are separated, failure to adapt to an unfamiliar landscape, and disease transmission.”
New IUCN SSC guidelines also warn against translocation because of welfare risks like stress, social disruption, and inability to find food in new areas.
Dr. Junker says the real answer is simple: protect the habitats that remain. “The most effective conservation strategy is protecting and restoring remaining habitat, reducing hunting pressure, and addressing the socio-economic drivers of habitat loss, rather than attempting to move chimpanzees after the damage has already occurred.”
What is the human cost — and who pays the price?
One Health — the idea that human, animal and environmental health are interconnected and must be protected together — frames this crisis: the same toxic exposures and pathogens cross borders between people, wildlife and ecosystems.
The mercury poisoning Ghana’s rivers and forests reflects a deadly ‘One Health’ crisis, where the same toxic vapors pushing chimpanzees toward extinction are causing a sharp rise in child deformities and chronic diseases, tying the survival of humans and wildlife to one fragile and uncertain future.
This image was created using AI and does not depict an actual scene
Chimpanzees are easily infected by human diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, and COVID-19. They are also at risk from toxic chemicals used in mining. “They don’t have resistance to hard metals like mercury and lead and cyanide,” warned Ofori-Amanfo. “These substances can severely affect them, so if we don’t take care and allow these substances to get to them, it will affect the left population of chimpanzees.”
Chimpanzees don’t have resistance to heavy metals like mercury, lead and cyanide. Their DNA is 98 % close to humans, so these substances will cause more harm to them.”,he stressed
The Tano-Nimiri forest enclave, along with Bui and Ankasa reserves — once vibrant habitat for our primate cousins — has become proof of this habitat destruction. Where primate calls once echoed, now the only sounds are excavators and the rush of silt-laden water.
Dr. Paulin Mungongo, a wildlife veterinarian and lecturer at the University of Kinshasa, explains this dangerous synergy: “Heavy metals and cyanide can cause chronic immunosuppression, neurological and reproductive harm, and bioaccumulate up the food chain. Combined with high susceptibility to human respiratory and other pathogens, this creates a silent emergency: even if habitat area remains, populations may decline from disease and toxicant stressors before habitat loss alone would cause extinction”
He explained that one of his key recommendations is to put One Health monitoring in place. This means regularly testing chimpanzee samples—like their hair and faeces—to check for heavy metals, while also doing pathogen surveillance and monitoring the health of people living in mining communities. According to him, this combined approach is important because the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems are all connected and affect one another.
The widespread illegal mining, known in Ghana as galamsey, is not just about digging up the forest. It is actually turning the environment into a threat for the very people and animals who depend on it. The chemicals used—especially mercury—are at the center of the problem. Mercury doesn’t just contaminate the environment; it becomes even more dangerous as it changes form.
As Dr. Mungongo puts it:
“Hydrological changes—heavy rains, floods, changing water tables—increase mobilization of mercury and transformation to methylmercury, which is more bioavailable and toxic.” He adds that “warmer temperatures and altered wet/dry cycles can increase methylation rates and change the bioaccumulation dynamics in food webs.”
Dr. Junker also warns about chemical pollution, describing it as “silent emergency.”
“The impact of chemical pollution on chimpanzees is far less well studied and represents an important knowledge gap. Although we do not yet understand the full long-term consequences for ape populations, it is reasonable to assume that the effects may mirror those documented in humans: reduced physical fitness, weakened immune systems, reproductive problems, and increased mortality.”
She adds, “If chimpanzees are already stressed by fragmented habitat, hunting pressure, or disease, the additional burden of toxic contamination could push small and isolated populations toward rapid decline.”
Ghana’s Hidden Emergency: Doctors Warn of Hole-in-Heart Cases, Deformities, and Mass Fetal Loss in Mining Areas
In the wards of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, I saw seven children, aged one to six years, who are believed to come from small-scale mining communities. Doctors say they had hole-in-heart conditions.
Doctors are seeing a terrifying surge in paediatric cases
Speaking to Ghanaian Watch in interview in Kumasi, Pro. Dr. Opoku Sampane, forensic histopathologist and former Head of Pathology at KNUST and KATH, noted with chilling clarity: “I have examined over 4,000 placentas from different regions in Ghana, and in them I found heavy metals present in both the cord and the placenta itself. I have about 500 cases where women have come to hospital and aborted their babies because of heavy metal concentration.”
He explains that a fetus absorbs 90 % of any pollutant from the mother, including mercury. The consequences: spontaneous abortions, deformities, lifelong disabilities. “Doctors from Prestea, Bogoso and Wassa Akropong tell me they are recording many deformities in babies,” Dr Sampane adds. “Most of them are afraid to come out because they fear for their lives.”
I also interviewed a 32-year-old woman at Samreboi who had worked with mercury in galamsey sites for two years. She already experienced hand tremors, a classic sign of mercury poisoning. Her one-year-old baby boy was sick — doctors say he has a hole in his heart.
Private physicians at Samreboi and Aowin (Western North) confirmed on condition of anonymity that the number of children getting seriously ill from mercury and lead exposure is rising rapidly.
Despite the legal framework and Ghana’s international commitments, effective control of hazardous chemicals — especially mercury in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) — remains riddled with systemic failures.
What legal obligations has Ghana signed up to — and where is enforcement failing?
The Minamata Convention on Mercury obliges its parties to take legally binding measures. Under Article 7, concerning artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), nations must “reduce and where feasible eliminate the use and release of mercury.” Article 8, on emissions control, mandates that parties “control mercury air emissions” from major industrial sources such as coal-fired power plants, non-ferrous metals production, cement production and waste incineration.
Ghana ratified the Minamata Convention in 2017. However, the state of implementation remains inadequate. Ghana’s Initial Assessment Report (MIA) identified mercury used in ASGM as the major release source, with an estimated 45,150 kg Hg/year of gold extraction-related mercury use — 72 % released to the air. The report also estimated that over 500,000 people are at risk from large-scale gold mining activities.
Ghana is seeking help to implement the Convention: the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation reaffirmed the country’s commitment, while establishing a multi-stakeholder Minamata Implementation Committee to deliberate on how to reduce and eliminate mercury use, phase-out mercury-added products and control emissions.
Yet enforcement lags. Despite the evident public health threat, Ghana lacks a dedicated national policy on food contamination by mercury and heavy metals; release estimates included 36.5 tonnes of mercury to air, 6.5 tonnes to water and 6 tonnes remaining on land annually from mining and related sectors.
A Flood of Toxins, A Failure of Governance: When Environmental Poisoning Meets State Neglect
Despite the catastrophic evidence, the flow of mercury and cyanide into mining communities remains largely unimpeded. Our investigation found mercury being sold openly in shops at Kumasi’s Alabar market, often smuggled across porous borders.
By September 2024, 60 % of Ghana’s water bodies were reported polluted due to galamsey, with the Pra, Ankobra, Birim and Offin rivers now heavily contaminated with mercury and cyanide used by some operators. An investigation by Pure Earth and the EPA (2025) across 11 ASGM sites found shocking results: mercury in soil at Konongo Zongo (Ashanti) exceeded safety guidelines by over 560 %; arsenic levels reached 10,060 ppm in soil; water at Konongo Odumase showed 3.30 mg L-1 arsenic (well above drinking standards); air mercury vapour at Wassa Kayianko peaked at 150 µg m-3 during smelting; and crops and fish from Akwaboso were contaminated with lead, arsenic and cadmium.
On the frontlines, however, enforcement is not merely a question of will but of capacity. Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Chief Executive of the EPA, highlighted the stark power imbalance:
“When we go to the field, we sometimes meet illegal miners wielding powerful, sophisticated weapons and guns.
“The laws do not permit us to use guns… so within our capacity we only engage them in conversation
When we go there, we do not carry guns, let alone attempt to fire at these illegal miners destroying our water bodies.” As a result, her officers are left to confront well-armed syndicates armed with nothing but persuasion—a dangerously unequal battle for the nation’s survival.
Enforcement failures are driven by a toxic mix of weak capacity, political patronage and corruption, plus the sheer economic pull of artisanal mining. Well-armed syndicates, limited resources for regulators, and selective prosecutions mean laws exist on paper but are often unenforced in the field.
The lack of strong, consistent prosecutions has undermined accountability. Attorney-General Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine admits failures: “Yes, I absolutely accept that the lack of prosecutions against the financiers and kingpins has, in the past, sent a signal of impunity.” He also confirmed that in October 2025 his office filed six new charges at the High Court in Accra against Mr Antwi Boasiako , the Ashanti Regional chairman of the Opposition New Patriotic Party and his company Akonta Mining Limited for alleged illegal mining activities — a signal of intent to hold powerful individuals accountable.
A legal framework is only as strong as the political courage to enforce it, and Ghana’s fight against galamsey is failing not because the nation lacks laws, but because impunity, corruption, and weak institutions keep getting in the way.
Despite the Attorney General’s acknowledgment of past impunity, a 2023 report by the Ghana Integrity Initiative revealed that political patronage continues to protect the financiers behind galamsey. This has resulted in what opposition leaders describe as a “cosmetic crackdown”—a campaign marked by highly publicized arrests of low-level operators, including only those aligned with the opposition. The recent arrest of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Wontumi, has been cited as an example. Critics argue that such selective enforcement masks a systemic failure to dismantle the powerful networks driving the destruction and exposes the government’s lack of political will to arrest and prosecute its own members, especially those identified as key figures within the administratIon
However, there are models Ghana and rest of the region can learn from. For example, Gabon has invested in professionally managed national parks, backed by government funding and international partnerships which shows how well-resourced protected areas can deliver results.
Economics of Destruction: How Ghana’s $8 Billion Artisanal Mining Industry Fuels Galamsey:
The Illegal mining (Galamsey) persists because it is underwritten by a brutal economic logic: artisanal mining contributes over $8 billion annually to Ghana’s economy and provides direct employment for over one million Ghanaians, creating an illicit ecosystem that is, as a World Bank assessment noted, “too lucrative to easily surrender.” Consequently, experts argue that any solution must target the financial architecture, “hitting the kingpins where it hurts – their wallets” through aggressive asset seizures and freezing the accounts of the backers.
Yet mining laws including the new Wildlife Resources Management Act (Act 1115, 2024 remain insufficient: the Wildlife Resources Management Act (Act 1115, 2024) introduces tougher punishments, but Ofori-Amanfo argues this is not enough: “I want Ghana to make specific laws… if you kill chimpanzees, they should give you a sentence of twenty to thirty years,” citing stricter penalties in Uganda and Tanzania.
A Warning Echoing Beyond Ghana’s Borders: Why African Great Apes Could Lose 90% of Their Habitat in 30 Years
Ghana’s situation is part of a much larger problem facing the entire continent. A 2021 study cautioned that African great apes may lose 90% of their habitat in the next 30 years because of the growing human population, increasing resource extraction, and the accelerating impacts of climate change.
“It’s a perfect storm for many of our closest genetic relatives, many of which are flagship species for conservation efforts within Africa and worldwide,” study leader and Liverpool John Moores University biologist Joana Carvalho . “If we add climate change to the current causes of territory loss, the picture looks devastating.”
Dr. Mungongo explains that even though mining and disease are the immediate dangers, climate change is the force that makes everything worse. He calls it a “threat multiplier” for chimpanzee populations already trapped in small, isolated forest patches.
In his words: “Climate impacts—changes in rainfall patterns, longer dry seasons, altered fruiting phenology—intensify the effects of fragmentation by reducing carrying capacity.”
In simple terms, the forests themselves are shifting. Trees are fruiting at the wrong times, or sometimes not fruiting at all. Streams and water sources stay dry for longer periods. The natural seasonal rhythm that chimpanzees rely on is slowly falling apart.
This leads to food shortages and nutritional stress, which in turn “raise susceptibility to disease.” Furthermore, “changes in vector distributions and stress-related immunosuppression increase disease risk.” The climate crisis is, quite literally, starving and sickening the last survivors.
This ecological upheaval has a dire consequence for a critical conservation tool: translocation. The idea of moving small, vulnerable groups to safer, more robust forests is becoming untenable. “Translocation becomes harder because suitable recipient sites become rarer and uncertain under future climate,” Dr. Mungongo warns. There may soon be no truly “safe” place left to take them.
Chimpanzees rely heavily on forest cover to build their nests and find food. “Chimpanzees love to live in the forest areas, but a significant number of Ghana’s forest cover has been destroyed by human activities through logs cutting and trees cutting,” Ofori-Amanfo said. Their habit of building a new nest every night means they constantly need tall trees. Without them, they are forced to sleep on the ground, where predators like leopards can easily attack.
Why the stakes are so high: Costs to people, nature and the economy
The scale of this crisis is staggering. The ASM sector accounts for roughly 40 % of Ghana’s gold output, contributing billions in export revenues — while an estimated 80 % of operations remain unlicensed, operating outside regulatory frameworks. The proliferation of illegal mining has accelerated forest loss, water-body destruction and heavy metal pollution.
For children like Kwaku and the last families of chimpanzees in Bia, time is running out. The gold extracted at such cost leaves a scarred land, poisoned rivers and legacies of disease and extinction. As Dr Sampane declared, this is not simply an environmental crisis — it is a war. A war against health, dignity and the future of Ghana itself — a future where forests are silent, rivers run toxic and children are not well.
A Death by a Thousand Cuts: Galamsey’s Growing Threat to Chimpanzees and Wildlife Conservation in Ghana :
The greatest immediate danger to chimpanzees is the systematic destruction of their forests—particularly through illegal gold mining, locally known as galamsey . To miners, the forest represents not a home for wildlife, but ground to be dug for gold. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources reports that 5,252 hectares of forest reserves have already been destroyed by galamsey. Out of 288 forest reserves in Ghana, 45 have been affected and nine have been completely ruined .
“The intensity and widespread of galamsey in recent times have become a major factor which is hindering the efforts to protect chimpanzees and other wildlife resources in the country,” said Ofori-Amanfo .
A 2025 scientific study confirmed that illegal mining causes “significant reductions in plant species richness and diversity.” In many heavily mined areas, researchers documented “complete absence of vegetation” and “total carbon loss”—creating apocalyptic landscapes where nothing can survive .
Meanwhile,the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) has called on the government to revoke L.I. 2462, end police protection for miners, and punish all officials involved. Its convener, Kenneth Ashigbey, warned: “If this government does not act decisively, no one is safe” .
This is not just Ghana’s problem. A 2024 World Resources Institute report revealed that mining has destroyed 1.4 million hectares of forests worldwide between 2001 and 2020, including 450,000 hectares of tropical rainforests. Ghana is among 11 countries responsible for 87% of all mining-related forest loss. The rising global demand for minerals—especially those used in renewable energy—could bring even more pressure in the years ahead .
Are there rays of hope — and what must happen next?
Ghana’s annual Closed Season for wildlife, which runs from August 1 to December 1, makes it illegal to hunt, capture, or kill wild animals under the Wildlife Resources Management Act. The idea is to give wildlife enough time and space to breed without disturbance. But many people question how effective this rule really is, especially when organized mining activities and illegal hunting continue almost nonstop.
Despite the bleak picture, there are glimmers of resistance: In the Western North region, the Aowin Traditional Council performed rituals — sacrificing a ram and fowls — to invoke the wrath of the gods against illegal miners, declaring a spiritual war to protect their last galamsey-free community. The Chief of Nkwanta, Nana Ntow III, said their intervention intends to protect Jema — the only community still free from illegal mining. “We are the custodians of the land, entrusted by our ancestors to preserve it for future generations. The gods will not spare those who defy their warnings and destroy our heritage.”
Technological solutions are also under discussion. Professor Klutse of the EPA is championing “nano-ozone” technology to cleanse rivers of heavy metals. “If I get US$200,000 today, we will do the pilot for every Ghanaian to see,” she said — a small sum to prove a scalable solution that remains unfunded. The government has also begun the process to revoke and review mining laws. “Hopefully it will not last long to finish the process to review the mining laws to get new mining laws that will take care of all the loopholes. We have started the discussion with the various stakeholders,” she added.
Meanwhile the national water treatment cost is soaring. Seth Eric Atiapa, Chief Manager (Special Duties) at the Ghana Water Company Limited, explained that pollution has forced the company to spend millions on dredging and expensive chemicals to produce safe water. “Because illegal mining had destroyed the water source at the Bonsa Water Treatment Plant,” he said, “any time we abstract the water and treat it we get just about fifty (50) per cent of the water.” He warned that if nothing is done about water pollution, the nation will struggle to access potable water.
Ghana has generated an unprecedented US$8 billion in foreign exchange from small-scale gold exports between January and 15 October 2025, according to data jointly released by the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and the Precious Minerals Marketing Company. While the figure represents a remarkable achievement, it has ignited intense debates about human and ecological health, environmental sustainability and whether mining communities are actually benefiting from this extraordinary wealth.
The Path Forward: Can Patrols, Community Engagement, and Innovative Financing Save Ghana’s Chimpanzees?
Even though the situation looks tough, conservationists are still working hard to protect the species. The Wildlife Division is running special protection programs in places like Bia, Ankasa, and Goaso, using more patrols and better surveillance. Officers also visit nearby communities to talk with people about why protecting chimpanzees matters.
Professor Edward Wiafe Debrah, an environmentalist and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), says Ghana needs to look into innovative financing mechanisms to support long-term wildlife conservation. Some of the options he mentions include:
Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES): A system where people who benefit from ecosystem services pay landowners to manage those ecosystems in a sustainable way.
Conservation Trust Funds: Independent funds that bring together money from international donors, NGOs, and the government.
Green Bonds and Impact Investing: Raising private capital through bonds that focus specifically on conservation goals.
Tourism Levies: Adding small fees to tourism activities to support conservation work and help local communities.
Dr. Mungongo suggests that long-term research and tourism models could be viable for Ghana “if built on long-term funding, strong local partnerships, community benefits, strict anti-poaching measures, and careful management of tourism impacts.” For areas like Bia National Park, this would require “an initial baseline ecological and social assessment, security guarantees, local capacity building, and corporate/community agreements that ensure conservation outcomes” .
Dr Junker, however, adds that conservation must be designed to help both wildlife and people. “It is designed and implemented in a way that benefits both the wildlife and the local communities.” In some places, “research presence alone may be more appropriate than tourism.”
Dr. Junker stresses the importance of “long-term monitoring to assess the effectiveness of conservation actions, and sharing the results widely allows others to learn what works (and under what conditions).”
Dr. Junker Further noted : “Preventing further degradation is far more viable than attempting to create or repopulate new habitats after they have been lost.”
A Path Back from the Brink: How Science, Adaptation and Community efforts Can Reverse the Decline of Chimpanzees :
Even though the situation sounds very serious, Dr. Mungongo’s message is not about giving up. Instead, it is a clear and scientific plan for what can be done, built from tough lessons learned in other conflict-affected places such as the Comoé region.
1. Lesson One: Find Them Before You Lose Them
The rediscovery of chimpanzees in Comoé shows they can survive even when we think they’re gone.
Dr. Mungongo says to use systematic, multi-tool surveys — “camera traps, acoustic monitoring, targeted transects, and non-invasive genetic sampling from faeces” — not just chance sightings.
This should work alongside “remote sensing to locate intact canopy and corridors,” plus community reports and ranger patrol data.
His point is clear: chimpanzees may be hiding in small pockets. “Prioritize patience and long-term effort,” he says, because they can stay unnoticed for years if human disturbance drops.
2. Lesson Two: Conservation is Local and Specific
Dr. Mungongo emphasizes that a one-size-fits-all strategy won’t work; we need habitat-specific conservation.
He explains that each forest differs in “food tree composition, seasonal fruiting patterns, water availability and human pressure,” so management must protect fruiting trees, water sources, canopy links, and forest structure.
Conservationists must track each forest fragment carefully — “fruit phenology and biomass, tree species composition (keystone fruit trees), water points, degree of forest fragmentation, and hunting pressure.”
What keeps the Bia chimpanzees alive is different from what the Krokosua group depends on.
3. Lesson Three: Build Resilience Through Connection
To face climate change, Dr. Mungongo says we must create larger and more connected natural areas.
“Protecting climate refugia, restoring corridors, and prioritizing larger, connected areas for conservation increase resilience,” he explains.
The goal is to protect forests most likely to survive climate shifts and link them so chimpanzees can move, feed, and exchange genes.
Fragmentation weakens populations; connectivity is their lifeline.
The Bottom Line: When Gold Becomes a Curse, No Wealth Can Justify This Ruin :
For Ghana to survive and thrive, the costs of this toxic gold rush must be confronted head-on. The failure to enforce mining laws, manage wildlife resources and implement the Minamata Convention’s commitments is not just a regulatory gap—it is a moral and existential failing.
Children like Kwaku are inhaling vapours that will impair their brains. Women are producing babies at risk of lifelong disability or death. The last families of our national chimpanzees are shrinking in poisoned forests. Rivers flow brown, forests are shredded, livelihoods vanish and the future becomes uncertain.
This is a conflict not only with nature, but with our own future. Ghana cannot afford to treat the gold beneath its land as a blessing when it is becoming a curse. It must choose: either enforce and protect — or continue to pay the price in health, heritage and hope.
Key takeaways:
• Ghana’s ASM/galamsey is causing severe mercury and cyanide contamination that threatens human and wildlife health.
• Fewer than 60 western chimpanzees remain in Ghana; habitat loss, hunting, disease and toxins are driving rapid declines.
• Enforcement fails because of political patronage, weak capacity, selective prosecutions and the economic lure of mining.
• A One Health approach — coordinated monitoring of people, wildlife and environments — is essential.
• Solutions: strengthen enforcement (target kingpins), expand habitat protection and corridors, fund community-led conservation, and scale up contamination remediation and health monitoring.
This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.