The Atewa Range Forest Reserve is Ghana's most biodiverse -- and most threatened -- wilderness area. There is wide consensus among scientists and NGO's that the reserve should be protected as Ghana's 6th national park: the Atewa Hills National Park. SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana will be working with domestic and international organizations to make the Atewa Hills National Park a reality. Located near Kibi, halfway between Accra and Kumasi, the Atewa Range Forest Reserve is home to the critically endangered Togo Slippery Frog (Conraua derooi; a close relative of the world's largest frog, the Goliath Frog Conraua goliath). Numerous other amphibian species as well as a diverse non-amphibious flora and fauna live in the reserve.

As recently as 2007, the multi-national ALCOA was seeking permission to conduct mountaintop-removal bauxite mining on three mountains in the reserve. There is continuous threat from other mining companies, many based in China, as well as the Romanian company Vimetco. Mountaintop removal mining destroys habitat and clogs the streams and rivers below with silt and the byproduct chemicals emerging from the mine. As with the vast majority of Ghana's forest reserves, legal logging takes place on the land, though the participant companies regularly harvest more trees than they were allotted, and seldom employ environmentally-responsible forestry practices.

Illegal logging is also rampant in the park, and locals eat the critically endangered Togo Slippery Frogs. SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana plans to educate the local people about the ecological value of the Atewa Hills. We will also be building capacity in the surrounding villages: training the locals in beekeeping and mushroom farming so they have new income and food sources that reduce their need to exploit the reserve.

Creating the Atewa Hills National Park is SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana's most important current campaign. Success would be a huge victory for Ghana's frogs, Ghana's people and for worldwide environmental conservation efforts, but it will not be easy: there are many influential companies and individuals who profit off of the continued exploitation of the Atewa Range Forest Reserve and will work diligently to block the new national park. Fortunately, the will of the people can overcome the existent power structure if the people are dedicated and well-organized. We at SAVE THE FROGS! & SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana will be doing our part, and we welcome your financial assistance and volunteer time.

"I have done some data collection in the reserve (2010-2011) and can bet on it that it is almost GONE as most parts of the reserve have been drastically changed. The Apapam and Asikam areas are either bedevilled by mining or illegal logging. It is so sad to see the frogs go!"
-- Deikumah Justus PhD Candidate in Landscape Ecology & Conservation, University of Queensland, Australia

Public Forum on December 18th, 2012

Public Forum Atewa

Additional Reading

The Need To Protect The Atewa Hills From Mining (PDF)

Save The Frogs! Ghana Spearheading Efforts to Create a New National Park for the Protection of the Critically Endangered Togo Slippery Frog (Conraua derooi). Adum et al. (2012) FrogLog 103

Please donate to SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana

We need your financial support to kick our Atewa Hills National Park campaign into high gear. Please place a tax-deductible contribution to SAVE THE FROGS! USA and then send a note to contact@savethefrogs.com asking us to direct the donation towards the Atewa Hills campaign. Thanks!

Gilbert Adum Atewa
SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana Executive Director Gilbert Adum and Togo Slippery Frog art.

Thanks to these supporters!

We salute hese fantastic supporters who helped us raise over $500 to support our Atewa Hills efforts!

-- Vincent Connolly
-- Marion Anstis
-- Madison Rosati and Crystal Matthews
-- Peter Schweinsberg
-- Matt "Big Frog" Mansfield & Phyllomedusa
-- Dr. Emmett Blankenship
-- Colin Barclay
-- Maxine Kingsbury
-- Ryan Woods
-- Sonya Newlyn
-- Mary Croft
-- Arlene Tompkins
-- Hiediliza Tan
-- Janet and Bruce Doyle
-- Patricia Matejcek
-- Jiri Stencl
-- Ruth C Cassidy
-- Kathy Shimata
-- Cheryl Hopper
-- Gayle Janzen
-- Jerry Esterly
-- Suzie Russell
-- Wesley Anderson
-- David Bibo
-- Louisa Jaskulski
-- Daniel Shively

Together we can SAVE GHANA'S FROGS!

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