An Email To The Global Environmental Advocacy Group Mighty Earth

Dear Mighty Earth,

We intend to build the world's longest forest canopy walkway in our freehold 14-square mile upland evergreen rainforest property at Akyem Juaso in Ghana's Eastern Region - as a conservation-through-ecotourism initiative to protect what is part of a designated Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) in the Atewa Range and make it the green pillar for the local economy.

Unfortunately, an area of about 5-square miles was encroached on by illegal gold miners and illegal  loggers working hand-in-glove with Hagnela Mining Company, a registered small-scale miner, as their assigns, who caused considerable degradation there last year - including destroying our organic cocoa plantation. Alas, they had the backing of powerful people affiliated to the previous ruling party's regime and thus operated openly with total impunity.

Now that crowdfunding platforms are available, we think it opportune to launch a  crowdfunding campaign to leverage the goodwill of the many lovers of Mother Nature around the globe  for the project's success - and let A Rocha Ghana directly receive, disburse and account for the money raised in the crowdfunding campaign to build the forest canopy walkway.

That way there is transparency and we the owners of the property have nothing to do with the disbursements - ensuring accountability.

As it happens, we have spoken to A Rocha Ghana recently and proposed that as a first step someone with the relevant expertise is sent by them  on a scoping trip to our Akyem Juaso forestland to confirm the suitability or otherwise for such collaboration between the estate of the late  P. E. Thompson and A Rocha Ghana. We await their response.

In our view, such a green low-carbon development project will be a shining example to other large landowners in Ghana - who will come to realise that protecting Mother Nature can be a financially rewarding undertaking. Akyem Juaso is the last fringe-forest village after Akyem Saamang before one encounters that section of the Atewa Range upland evergreen rainforest.

As a strategy to keep our vampire-elites from laying their grubby hands on forestland that happens to be one of the most beautiful places on the surface of the planet Earth, and give it out as a bauxite concession to their cronies,  when completed, would Mighty Earth be willing to accept the land as a gift  from us the owners - and lease it back to us and the community to run what will be  the centrepiece attraction in our community-based ecotourism destination?

Since it is a gift from us  it will not involve Mighty Earth in making any financial commitments. We aren't looking for money from you. Our country's Constitution bars the expropriation of foreign investors' assets here - and you would qualify: as Mighty Earth will be investing time and energy campaigning to save the remainder of Ghana's forest cover from the unfathomable greed that drives the philistines who control our byzantine system.

We see you as powerful advocates with a global reach who can - through your worldwide advocacy campaigns - help halt the outrageous national policy of giving out forest reserves as mining concessions. Gifting our land at Akyem Juaso to you would be additional incentive for you to help ordinary Ghanaians protect what is left of our nation's natural heritage - so that future generations of our people  can  benefit from our  priceless natural capital too.


Thanks.

Kind regards,

Kofi Thompson.