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ATTEMPTS TO save the Aburi Forest Reserve from being developed have fallen on deaf ears, as the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, continues to pursue his ambition of developing a portion of it into an office complex. The defiant DCE, together with some officers from the Akuapem South District Assembly, on Monday, June 2, 2014, invaded the degraded portion of the 172-year Forest Reserve, and demarcated a portion of it for the construction of the office complex. Pegging of the land has been smoothly carried out by architects at the Assembly, with the layout visible enough to see from a distance. Concrete pillars used for the demarcation exercise have the inscription ASA (Akuapem South District Assembly) boldly written on them. The two-acre land was divided into five sections, with each section covering 80�200 feet. DCE rejects land The DCE had once rejected a three-acre land opposite the Aburi Police Station offered by the Aburi Botanical Gardens, which operates under the Department of Parks and Gardens, for the said Assembly Complex. This was when the then Minister for Local Government & Rural Development, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, called on the authorities of the Gardens to assist the newly-created Akuapem South District Assembly find a place for the construction of the assembly office complex. The Department of Parks and Gardens and Metropolitan, Municipal & District Assemblies (MMDCE) are all agencies under the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development. It is, however, not clear why Mr. Afari-Gyan rejected the three-acre land, and instead, opted to develop a portion of the Forest Reserve, which is a preserve for wildlife. On Tuesday, June 3, 2014, at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, Mr. Afari-Gyan was heard beating his chest out to a colleague DCE that no matter what people say, he will go ahead to develop the degraded part of the Forest Reserve into an assembly office complex, since he has the backing of the powers that be. All the municipal and district chief executives in the Eastern Region had met to bid farewell to their regional political head, Julius Debrah, who had been re-assigned by the President to head the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development. The contractor for the project was to move in 48 hours after the pegging exercise (June 4, 2014), Mr. Afari-Gyan invited the Curator of the Aburi Botanical Gardens and the Chief of the area, Otoobour Djan Kwasi II, (who has all along been backing the destruction of the forest reserve) and told them about his action, and to also expect the contractor for the project to move to the site very soon. The Curator, The Chronicle understands, was not happy with the action of the DCE, and so asked him to provide documents authorising him (DCE) to go ahead with his proposed assembly office complex. But, the DCE couldn�t provide any documents to back his action, only to tell the two leaders that he was called on phone by the �authorities� to go ahead with the project. Forestry Commission, EPA warn DCE Ever since the DCE attempted to develop a portion of the forest reserve into an office complex, the Forestry Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency have reacted by sending a notice to Mr. Afari-Gyan, warning him not to encroach on the Aburi Botanical Gardens Forest Reserve, since the area serves as a wildlife habitat. The notice, The Chronicle learnt, was sent to the DCE through the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development. Mahama summons Minister on May 22, 2014 President John Dramani Mahama, alarmed by the destruction of a portion of the forest reserve, reportedly summoned the Minister of Local Government & Rural Development, Kwasi Oppong-Fosu, for questioning. The President wanted to inquire from the Minister whether the directive for the DCE to encroach on the forest reserve was from his office, and whether there was documentary proof to that effect. Surprisingly, a week later after Mr. Oppong-Fosu�s encounter with the President, he was relieved from his post, with the Eastern Regional Minister, Julius Debrah, assuming his position. It is, however, unclear whether his sacking order was related to how he handled the issues of encroachment of the Aburi Botanical Gardens Forest Reserve by Mr. Afari-Gyan. Aburi Gardens to be preserved On May 29, 2014, a day before Mr. Oppong-Fosu was relieved off his post, his successor, Julius Debrah, then Eastern Regional Minister, gave the assurance that his outfit was committed to preserving the ecology of the Aburi Botanical Gardens and its adjoining undeveloped forest. Then on June 1, 2014, just a day after Mr. Oppong-Fosu was relieved off his post, the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development also pledged to preserve the ecology of the Aburi Botanical Gardens. A Deputy Minister of Local Government & Rural Development, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, told a local radio station in an interview that the Ministry will do everything possible to protect the garden. �We can�t do away with the Aburi Gardens; it is a symbol of this country and something very important to the environment,� Mr. Agyekum was quoted as saying by Citi News. With the commitment shown by the Ministry and its head, it is unclear who has authorised the DCE to go ahead with his proposed assembly office complex. The Aburi Botanical Gardens covers an area of 160 acres (64.34 hectares), out of which 35 acres have been developed. The Gardens is one of the leading gardens in the world for research into tropical botany. It is made up of orchids, flower plots, rock gardens, children�s park, nurseries and chalets (apartments for rental). It further has 13 hectares of undeveloped land (forest) reserved in its wild state, as a means of stabilising the ecology of the area.