EFFECTS OF ILLEGAL GOLD-MINING ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Cherekpong Traditional area which is a gold mining community in the District is notable of countless environmental problems such as soil erosion, depleting soil and vegetation cover, noise and air pollution, loss of biological diversity, land degradation and food insecurity. Despite the above challenges, the illegal mining in the community serves as the main employment to the youth of the community, income generation and population increase but there appears to be no systematic model on how to approach illegal mining, particularly concerning the negative effects.