Embrace nature-based solutions to restore degraded lands – CSIR

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has urged stakeholders to embrace nature-based solutions for the reclamation of mined-out sites affected by illegal mining activities.

According to the council, nature-based solutions were viable and cost-effective than engineering solutions when it came to reclaiming degraded lands.

Prof Dr Daniel Ofori, Director, Forest Research Institute of Ghana, CSIR (CSIR-FORIG) said this in a radio interview

“Nature-based solutions connote using natural means to address a challenge. I made reference to soils that have been contaminated through illegal mining activities. There are other means used to decontaminate that are engineering methods but are very expensive that you cannot move soil from where it is, decontaminate it and bring it back. But the nature-based is where you use natural means, thus in situ, you do not add any chemical,” he stated.

Prof Dr Ofori said lands used for mining had to be restored before permission could be granted to those wanting to use the land for the same purpose.

“But these are issues or challenges that we have because people go in and most of these are illegal but those companies that follow the processes that sign an agreement with the government actually go on and do this reclamation and so on,” he added.

Prof. Dr Ofori said it was in the reclamation process that the CSIR and the FORIG were invited to help in the restoration of the lands.

He emphasised that illegal miners were to blame for the degradation of the lands but were mostly not seen on site when the harm had been done.

“So, the restoration of these areas that they degraded is where we need a consortium of experts that come in like the engineers and biologists to decontaminate these lands,” he added.