A coalition of environmental organizations has picketed outside the parliament building demanding the repeal of the L. I 2462 which allows unfettered access to Ghana’s forest reserves. The members include A Rocha Ghana, Eco-Conscious Citizens, Youth Alliance Green Ghana, Ghana Youth Environment Movement, Ghana Environment Advocacy Group, Atronsu Farmers and Youth Anti community/small-scale mining Group, Daby Foundation, SOY Africa, Youth Volunteers for the Environment, and AbibiNsroma Foundation. According to the alliance of environmental organizations, significant biodiversity areas must be preserved. The alliance of environmental organizations believes that repealing Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 requires the support of both the government and significant stakeholders.
“The picketing is organized to express concerns at the passage of the retrogressive L.I 2462 ‘Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations’ passed by Parliament, and the way mining-related permits are leading to the destruction of Ghana's forest reserves and the pollution of water bodies,” Daryl Bosu, Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana stated. He added "What is sad is that, before the L.I. was passed, there was an existing administrative guideline that set some limitations to where we can mine and where we cannot mine but we have seen that, this L.I. has come to take all limitations, meaning that no forest in this country as long as the President gives an assent that it should be mined would be mined". He described the new L.I. as retrogressive in Ghana's quest to protect its forest reserves from climate change and also retrogressive to secure biodiversity. He said, it is time state institutions think about sustainability and the future adding that "at the moment everything they are doing is about benefit today, profit today, and nothing about the future, and we think it is retrogressive and that must be stopped". As part of the picketing, they petitioned the leadership of Parliament to repeal the law.
A resident of Atronsu who participated in the picketing revealed that, their water bodies have already been destroyed by illegal miners, with many birth defects being recorded as a result of the use of chemicals for mining. "And we had all these challenges at the time when the forests were somehow protected, so what happens to us now that the government is giving unfettered access for the destruction of our forests", the residents added. The Atronsu resident has also called for the withdrawal of the law.