ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, FOOD SECURITY: Land-based activities, biological resources, fisheries George Wiafe Phd University of Ghana ([email protected])

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, RESOURCE RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT, FOOD MANAGEMENT, FOOD SECURITY: SECURITY:

Land-based activities, biological Land-based activities, biological resources, fisheriesresources, fisheries

George Wiafe George Wiafe PhdPhdUniversity of GhanaUniversity of Ghana

([email protected])([email protected])

Decision-Making Support for Coastal Zone Management, Decision-Making Support for Coastal Zone Management, Water Resources & Climate Change in Africa. Water Resources & Climate Change in Africa. (Benin 15 – 17)(Benin 15 – 17)

Outline of PresentationOutline of Presentation

• Ecosystem as economic driver

• Challenges of ecosystem

• Addressing challenges

• Case study in Ghana

• Conclusion

??? Underlying questions??? Underlying questions• What are the coastal ecosystem functions

which support or provide goods and services?

• What are the relative values of coastal ecosystems services?

• How can we predict the impact of management decisions on coastal ecosystem services and related benefits and costs?

• How can we make this information available in a useful and usable form?

On the same pageOn the same page

• ECOSYSTEM SERVICESECOSYSTEM SERVICES–benefits from a multitude of resources and processes that are supplied by natural ecosystems

Categories of Ecosystem Categories of Ecosystem ServicesServices

• Provisioning services – food (including seafood and game), crops, wild foods, and spices – water – pharmaceuticals, biochemicals, and industrial products – energy (hydropower, biomass fuels)

• Regulating services – carbon sequestration and climate regulation – waste decomposition and detoxification – purification of water and air – crop pollination – pest and disease control

• Supporting services – nutrient dispersal and cycling – seed dispersal – Primary production

• Cultural services – cultural, intellectual and spiritual inspiration – recreational experiences (including ecotourism) – scientific discovery

On the same pageOn the same page

• RESOURCE MANAGEMENTRESOURCE MANAGEMENT–management of (natural)

resources to bring into being development that is economically viable, socially beneficial, and ecologically sustainable

On the same pageOn the same page

• FOOD SECURITYFOOD SECURITY– all people, at all times, have physical and

economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (FAO)...(that is, without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies) (US Dept. Agric)

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GCLME in contextGCLME in context Highly sensitive area, where a number of ecosystems

exist in a state of balance. Interchange within and between physical, biological,

social, cultural and economic processes. Pressures from human habitation and economic

development are commono E.g. environmental degradation and deterioration of water quality,

habitat and biodiversity loss, with underlying poverty.

75% of the world’s population currently live within 60km of the coast.

Need for acceleration of capabilities for integrated coastal zone management.

Fisheries SectorFisheries Sector• The major resource of The major resource of

the GCLME .the GCLME .

• 10 million fishers in 10 million fishers in sub-Saharan Africa, 7 sub-Saharan Africa, 7 million of which are million of which are from West and Central from West and Central Africa. Africa.

• Contributes 10% of Contributes 10% of GDP in some GDP in some countries, e.g. Liberiacountries, e.g. Liberia

Extractive SectorExtractive Sector• Huge oil resources (how beneficial???)

• Sand mining at Fielnon II area & Mariell beaches in Benin (Legal/illegal???)

Tourism SectorTourism Sector• Tourism is also a major Tourism is also a major

activity in the coastal towns, activity in the coastal towns, although exact tourist flow although exact tourist flow is not well documentedis not well documented

• Ghana: 3Ghana: 3rdrd Foreign exchange Foreign exchange earner (GDP-wise).earner (GDP-wise).

• DR Congo: potential for DR Congo: potential for developmentdevelopment

• Nigeria: several sites to seeNigeria: several sites to see

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Coastal/Marine envt. under threatCoastal/Marine envt. under threatDomestic sanitation

Fisheries degradation

Wetland/mangrove degradation

Industrial pollution

Coastal erosion

Forest degradation

Aquatic weed encroachment

Current trend and its impactCurrent trend and its impact• Growing variety and intensity of human

activities– (e.g., energy production, fishing, coastal

development, transportation)

… coupled with the impacts of climate change

… threaten the sustained delivery of ecosystem services.

Transboundary impactsTransboundary impacts• Deterioration in water quality and incidence of HABs

• Socio-economic and health implications

• Introduction of invasive alien species

• Destruction of fishery nursery

– Loss of fish/shellfish/mariculture markets and jobs

– Mariculture is a potentially valuable growth industry in the GCLME. It is constrained by a general lack of information and know how

• Eutrophication and mortality of marine organisms

– notably sea turtles, marine mammals and effect on feeding of sea birds.

• Degraded habitats and its negative aesthetic impacts on recreation/and tourism

"Africa’s long and beautiful coasts and the abundance of marine resources can contribute to providing economic, food and environmental security for the continent. These coastal and marine resources, like the rest of Africa’s environmental resources, continue to be exploited in a manner that does not benefit Africa and her people. This is a paradox of a people dying from hunger, starvation and poverty when they are potentially so rich and well endowed."

Nelson Mandela

Excerpt from a message to the meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Protection of the Sea, held in Cape Town (December, 1998).

Holy GrailHoly Grail

Credit: Cicin-Sain (University of

Delaware)

Ecosystem-Based Mgt.Ecosystem-Based Mgt.

GCLME initiativeGCLME initiative• Challenge

– To combat depletion of living marine resource depletion and degradation of GCLME through ecosystem-based regional actions (towards sustainable utilization of living resources)

• Goals (R3)– Recover depleted fish stocks– Restore degraded habitats– Reduce land and ship-based pollution

• Activities– Development of Strategic Action Programme + sustainable financing– Recovery and sustainability of depleted fisheries and living marine resources– Biodiversity conservation, restoration of degraded habitats & reduction in coastal

erosion– Reduction of land and sea-based pollution and improve water quality– Regional Coordination and Institutional Sustainability

LME to TDA to SAP: THEN ???LME to TDA to SAP: THEN ???

Socio-economics

Governance

Productivity

Fish resources &fisheries

Pollution &Ecosystem Health

Transboundaryissues, identifythreats &root causes

Transboundaryissues, identifythreats &root causes

Socio-economicimpact analyses& prioritization

Socio-economicimpact analyses& prioritization

Governanceand stakeholderanalysis

Governanceand stakeholderanalysis

Regional & national reforms to maintain productivity, sustain fisheries & ecosystem & reduce pollution

Economics instruments, investment

Legal, policy reforms, ministerial level adoption, stakeholders

LME Module TDA SAP

Ghana Coastal Ghana Coastal ZoneZone

• Coastal zone of Ghana is 7% total land area; defined as 30m contour and 200nm EEZ

• Length of coastline 540km

• Coastal population 25%

• 70% of industries and business are coastal

GhanaGhana

IntroductionPotentially an economic driver.

N = No exp(-m x)

N = no. of users$$ ~ m-1

BUT . . .

Coastal zone under threat:Coastal dwellers, seat of government, roads, fish landing sites, thermal plant, turtle nesting sites, mangroves, wetlands, coastal tourism, etc. etc

Threat of Coastal Erosion Threat of Coastal Erosion !!!!!!

Coastal erosion threatens public and private safety and property (Feb, 2009).

Rapid Beach Erosion (Cape Coast)Rapid Beach Erosion (Cape Coast)

Moderate waves; rapid beach change Threatening nearby roadway(shore protection a decade ago)

ProtectioProtection at Cape n at Cape

CoastCoast

But likely Over-washing during storms

Severe Beach Erosion (Accra)

Coastal erosion threatening settlement and threatening the seat of Government

Rapid Beach Erosion (Ada)Rapid Beach Erosion (Ada)

Destruction of coastal roads and increased health risk due to erosion

Beach Erosion (Kokrobite)Beach Erosion (Kokrobite)

Present sand-starved rocky shoreline Nearby wide sandy beach(similar to left a decade ago)

Rapid Beach Erosion (Ada)Rapid Beach Erosion (Ada)

Over 2 m vertical beach change Roadway actively washing away

Rapid Beach Erosion (Anyanui)Rapid Beach Erosion (Anyanui)

Roadway actively washing away

Shore Protection (Keta)Shore Protection (Keta)

Erosion hotspotsErosion hotspots

To develop a monitoring program to address erosion issues Examine beach response on inter-annual and seasonal time scalesPredict future erosion trend under sea level rise scenariosImprove predictive capability for sediment transportDevelop region-wide reference model

To develop capability in satellite imagery analyses complement in-situ measurments with suite of satellite data ship detection, oil spills, maritime traffic (SAR) resource management & conservation (Geoeye, Digiglobe,etc)

To investigate the upweling dynamics in the Gulf of Guinea

University of Ghana Coastal Process Program +

To provide understanding of the processes driving coastal change and evolution in Ghana

ApproachApproach

• Insfrastructure/Equipment

• Human capacity development

• Institutional collaboration

• Monitoring/Research

• Sustainability

Paradigm for Building Human Paradigm for Building Human capitalcapital

• Ecosystems that humans rely on for services are poorly understood, scarcely poorly understood, scarcely monitoredmonitored, and often only appreciated after they are lost.

• Active research & monitoring research & monitoring programs play a key role in providing sets of management options and potential consequences.

• African Champions !!!African Champions !!!

Credit: Boateng

Mukwe lagoon inlet

Kpeshie lagoon inlet

Credit: Boateng

Directional Waverider Buoy Directional Waverider Buoy (June, 2010)(June, 2010)

DevCoCast (Ghana)DevCoCast (Ghana)

(GEONETCast by and for Developing countries)

ConclusionConclusion• Most marine habitats now exhibit “stress”

from human activities (Noted also for GCLME)

• Explosive population growth is expected to continue in coastal regions and will “increase stress” (exacerbated by climate change).

• Science-based management strategies are essential to stem deterioration of coastal environments.

Scaling upScaling up

• Local institutional collaboration

• Regional collaboration

• Support training and research

• Collaborative research

• Developing critical mass for regional competence

ConclusionConclusion• Limited capacity and poor infrastructure are

major impediments to better management performance for coastal/marine habitats.

• Management performance constrained by limited investment in research and monitoring

Take home !Take home !• Environmental management is a

politically mediated activity.

• Appropriate strategies required to disseminate scientific information

into the public policy arena

African solution:- maybe scientists taking politicians as spouses

Future generation: Future generation: observers or participants?observers or participants?