ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, FOOD SECURITY: Land-based activities, biological resources, fisheriesGeorge Wiafe PhdUniversity of Ghana(wiafeg@ug.edu.gh)Decision-Making Support for Coastal Zone Management, Water Resources & Climate Change in Africa. (Benin 15 17)

Outline of PresentationEcosystem as economic driverChallenges of ecosystemAddressing challengesCase study in GhanaConclusion

??? Underlying questionsWhat 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 pageECOSYSTEM SERVICESbenefits from a multitude of resources and processes that are supplied by natural ecosystems

Categories of Ecosystem ServicesProvisioning 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 pageRESOURCE MANAGEMENTmanagement of (natural) resources to bring into being development that is economically viable, socially beneficial, and ecologically sustainable

On the same pageFOOD SECURITYall 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)

*GCLME in contextHighly 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 commonE.g. environmental degradation and deterioration of water quality, habitat and biodiversity loss, with underlying poverty. 75% of the worlds population currently live within 60km of the coast. Need for acceleration of capabilities for integrated coastal zone management.

Fisheries SectorThe major resource of the GCLME .10 million fishers in sub-Saharan Africa, 7 million of which are from West and Central Africa. Contributes 10% of GDP in some countries, e.g. Liberia

Extractive SectorHuge oil resources (how beneficial???)Sand mining at Fielnon II area & Mariell beaches in Benin (Legal/illegal???)

Tourism SectorTourism is also a major activity in the coastal towns, although exact tourist flow is not well documentedGhana: 3rd Foreign exchange earner (GDP-wise).DR Congo: potential for developmentNigeria: several sites to see

*Coastal/Marine envt. under threatDomestic sanitationFisheries degradationWetland/mangrove degradationIndustrial pollutionCoastal erosionForest degradationAquatic weed encroachment

Current trend and its impactGrowing 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 impactsDeterioration in water quality and incidence of HABsSocio-economic and health implicationsIntroduction of invasive alien speciesDestruction of fishery nurseryLoss of fish/shellfish/mariculture markets and jobsMariculture is a potentially valuable growth industry in the GCLME. It is constrained by a general lack of information and know howEutrophication and mortality of marine organismsnotably sea turtles, marine mammals and effect on feeding of sea birds. Degraded habitats and its negative aesthetic impacts on recreation/and tourism

"Africas 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 Africas 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 GrailCredit: Cicin-Sain (University of Delaware)

Ecosystem-Based Mgt.

GCLME initiativeChallengeTo 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 stocksRestore degraded habitatsReduce land and ship-based pollutionActivitiesDevelopment of Strategic Action Programme + sustainable financingRecovery and sustainability of depleted fisheries and living marine resourcesBiodiversity conservation, restoration of degraded habitats & reduction in coastal erosionReduction of land and sea-based pollution and improve water qualityRegional Coordination and Institutional Sustainability

LME to TDA to SAP: THEN ???Socio-economicsGovernanceProductivityFish resources &fisheriesPollution &Ecosystem Health

Transboundaryissues, identifythreats &root causesSocio-economicimpact analyses& prioritizationGovernanceand stakeholderanalysisRegional & national reforms to maintain productivity, sustain fisheries & ecosystem & reduce pollutionEconomics instruments, investmentLegal, policy reforms, ministerial level adoption, stakeholdersLME ModuleTDASAP

Ghana Coastal ZoneCoastal zone of Ghana is 7% total land area; defined as 30m contour and 200nm EEZLength of coastline 540kmCoastal population 25%70% of industries and business are coastal

GhanaIntroductionPotentially an economic driver. N = No exp(-m x)N = no. of users$$ ~ m-1BUT . . . 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 !!!Coastal erosion threatens public and private safety and property (Feb, 2009).

Rapid Beach Erosion (Cape Coast)Moderate waves; rapid beach changeThreatening nearby roadway(shore protection a decade ago)

Protection at Cape CoastBut likely Over-washing during storms

Severe Beach Erosion (Accra)Coastal erosion threatening settlement and threatening the seat of Government

Rapid Beach Erosion (Ada)Destruction of coastal roads and increased health risk due to erosion

Beach Erosion (Kokrobite)Present sand-starved rocky shorelineNearby wide sandy beach(similar to left a decade ago)

Rapid Beach Erosion (Ada)Over 2 m vertical beach changeRoadway actively washing away

Rapid Beach Erosion (Anyanui)Roadway actively washing away

Shore Protection (Keta)

Erosion 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 GuineaUniversity of Ghana Coastal Process Program +To provide understanding of the processes driving coastal change and evolution in Ghana

ApproachInsfrastructure/EquipmentHuman capacity developmentInstitutional collaborationMonitoring/ResearchSustainability

Paradigm for Building Human capitalEcosystems that humans rely on for services are poorly understood, scarcely monitored, and often only appreciated after they are lost.Active research & monitoring programs play a key role in providing sets of management options and potential consequences. African Champions !!!

Credit: Boateng

Mukwe lagoon inlet Kpeshie lagoon inlet Credit: Boateng

Directional Waverider Buoy (June, 2010)

DevCoCast (Ghana)(GEONETCast by and for Developing countries)

ConclusionMost 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 upLocal institutional collaborationRegional collaborationSupport training and researchCollaborative researchDeveloping critical mass for regional competence

ConclusionLimited 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 !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: observers or participants?

Temporal dynamics of plankton communities in the Gulf of Guinea ecosystem. PhD Thesis. George Wiafe. *Temporal dynamics of plankton communities in the Gulf of Guinea ecosystem. PhD Thesis. George Wiafe. ***