An Assessment of the Laws and Policies on the Iture-Abakam Wetlands: Issues of Protection and Management
Issaka Amadu 
Issue: Vol.5 No.7 Issue Article 15 pp.1250-1264
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245715 | Published online 19th July, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Wetlands have been protected from exploitation by legislation over the years due to the important role they play in the ecosystem. However, in Ghana, recent occurrences have led to their exploitation. The Iture-Abakam Wetland of the Cape Coast Metropolis which has been reported to be the only single location in Ghana where all five of the mangrove species can be found is facing exploitation by certain individuals and organizations which should be prevented at all costs. Thus, this study aimed to assess the role the law plays and the systems that have been put in place to manage and protect the Iture-Abakam Wetland. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders such as the personnel from the Wildlife Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Land Use and Spatial Planning Department as well as the Chief and Fetish Priest to seek their views on the laws and policies on the Iture-Abakam wetland. Findings from the study revealed that no law exists for the protection and management of the wetland as is the case for most of the non-Ramsar site wetlands in Ghana. The local laws that are used to protect the area are not adhered to as a result of little regard given to traditional laws and policies today. It is recommended that the various non-Ramsar sites such as the Iture-Abakam wetland should be gazetted and protected by national laws. The traditional authorities should also be empowered by the central government to implement any local laws and policies they may formulate to protect wetlands in their locality.
Keywords: Ramsar Convention 1971, Ramsar-sites, Wildlife, Wetland, Policies, Iture-Abakam-Cape Coast, Protection of Nature
Abalu, George, and Rashid Hassan. “Agricultural Productivity and Natural Resource Use in Southern Africa.” Food Policy 23, no. 6 (1998): 477–90.
Adotey, Joshua. “Carbon Stock Assessment in the Kakum and Amanzule Estuary Mangrove Forests, Ghana.” University of Cape Coast, 2015.
Adu-Boahen, K, I Y Dadson, and J A Atubiga. “Customary Practices and Wetland Management in Ghana: A Case of Muni Lagoon Ramsar Site in the Central Region.” KNUST Journal of Geography and Rural Development 2, no. 1 (2018): 27–45.
Agbemehia, Kenneth. “Effects of Industrial Waste Effluents Discharged Into Sakumo II Lagoon in Accra, Ghana,” 2015.
Anku, Samuel Kwame. “Managing Wetlands in Accra, Ghana.” In Presentation at the African Regional Workshop on Cities, Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Nairobi, Vol. 21, 2006.
Asselen, Sanneke van, Peter H Verburg, Jan E Vermaat, and Jan H Janse. “Drivers of Wetland Conversion: A Global Meta-Analysis.” PloS One 8, no. 11 (2013): e81292.
Atampugre, Gerald. “Spatio-Temporal Information and Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover Changes in the Muni-Pomadze Wetland.” University of Cape Coast, 2010.
Attuquayefio, D K, and F Gbogbo. “Prospects of Conserving Wetlands along the Mukwe Lagoon at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.” West African Journal of Applied Ecology 2, no. 1 (2001).
Bjerstedt, Thomas W. “Impacting Factors and Cumulative Impacts by Midcentury on Wetlands in the Louisiana Coastal Area.” Journal of Coastal Research 27, no. 6 (2011): 1029–51.
Briney, Ann. “Wetlands: An Introduction to Wetlands,” 2012. http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/wetlands.html.
Brooks, Jeremy S, Kerry A Waylen, and Monique Borgerhoff Mulder. “How National Context, Project Design, and Local Community Characteristics Influence Success in Community-Based Conservation Projects.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, no. 52 (2012): 21265–70.
Campion, Benjamin Betey, and Godfred Owusu-Boateng. “The Political Ecology of Wetlands in Kumasi, Ghana,” 2013.
Cox, Michael, Sergio Villamayor-Tomas, and Yasha Hartberg. “The Role of Religion in Community-Based Natural Resource Management.” World Development 54 (2014): 46–55.
Daigneault, Christie Vandervlist, Kaileigh Nichols, and Mitchell Hall. “The Importance of Wetlands in Ecosystem Services: With Special Attention on Flood Attenuation, Carbon Sequestration, Hydrogeology, Water Quality, Biodiversity, and Social and Local Values.” ERSC 3160H-Wetl. Final Rep, 2012, 1–55.
Davidson, Nick C. “How Much Wetland Has the World Lost? Long-Term and Recent Trends in Global Wetland Area.” Marine and Freshwater Research 65, no. 10 (2014): 934–41.
deGraft-Johnson, K A A, J Blay, F K E Nunoo, and C C Amankwah. “Biodiversity Threats Assessment of the Western Region of Ghana.” The Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance (ICFG) Initiative Ghana, 2010.
Gordon, C, K A Yankson, C A Biney, D S Amlalo, J Tumbulto, and D Kpelle. “Wetland Typology: Contribution to the Ghana National Wetland Strategy.” Ghana Wildlife Department, Coastal Wetlands Management Project, Accra, 1998.
Isme, Itto, Mab Unu-Inweh, and T.N.C London. “FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation),‘Mangrove Forest Management Guidelines’’, Forestry Paper, 117. Rome: FAO, 2007.’” South African Journal of Botany, 2001, 394.
Jehu-Appiah, Caroline, Genevieve Aryeetey, Irene Agyepong, Ernst Spaan, and Rob Baltussen. “Household Perceptions and Their Implications for Enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana.” Health Policy and Planning 27, no. 3 (2012): 222–33.
Keddy, Paul A. Wetland Ecology: Principles And Conservation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Levin, David Michael. The Opening of Vision: Nihilism and the Postmodern Situation. London: Routledge, 2008.
Li, Jia, Hua Zhang, Kaina Zhang, Ruijuan Yang, Ruize Li, and Yanfang Li. “Characterization, Source, and Retention of Microplastic in Sandy Beaches and Mangrove Wetlands of the Qinzhou Bay, China.” Marine Pollution Bulletin 136 (2018): 401–6.
Luo, Yaofeng, Jinlong Liu, and Dahong Zhang. “Role of Traditional Beliefs of Baima Tibetans in Biodiversity Conservation in China.” Forest Ecology and Management 257, no. 10 (2009): 1995–2001.
Maconachie, Roy, Tony Binns, and Paul Tengbe. “Urban Farming Associations, Youth and Food Security in Post-War Freetown, Sierra Leone.” Cities 29, no. 3 (2012): 192–200.
Magnani, Elisabetta. “The Environmental Kuznets Curve: Development Path or Policy Result?” Environmental Modelling & Software 16, no. 2 (2001): 157–65.
Mathooko, Jude M, and Samuel T Kariuki. “Disturbances and Species Distribution of the Riparian Vegetation of a Rift Valley Stream.” African Journal of Ecology 38, no. 2 (2000): 123–29.
Mathooko, Jude Mutuku. “Disturbance of a Kenya Rift Valley Stream by the Daily Activities of Local People and Their Livestock.” Hydrobiologia 458 (2001): 131–39.
Mensah, Justice Camillus. “Remote Sensing Application for Mangrove Mapping in the Ellembelle District in Ghana.” USAID Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance Program for the Western Region of Ghana. Narragansett, RI: Coastal Resources Center, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, 2013.
Ministry of Lands and Forestry. Managing Ghana’s Wetlands: A National Wetland Conservation Strategy. Accra: Ministry of Lands and Forestry, 1999.
Mitsch, William J, and James G Gosselink. “The Value of Wetlands: Importance of Scale and Landscape Setting.” Ecological Economics 35, no. 1 (2000): 25–33.
Ndiritu, George G, Nathan N Gichuki, and Ludwig Triest. “Distribution of Epilithic Diatoms in Response to Environmental Conditions in an Urban Tropical Stream, Central Kenya.” Biodiversity & Conservation 15 (2006): 3267–93.
Njagi, Christine M. “Policy Review on Sustainbale Use and Management of Wetlands in Kenya: A Case Study of the Kimana Wetland, Kajiado County, Kenya.” University of Nairobi, 2016.
Ntiamoa-Baidu, Yaa. “Conservation of Coastal Lagoons in Ghana: The Traditional Approach.” Landscape and Urban Planning 20, no. 1–3 (1991): 41–46.
O’connell, Mj. “Detecting, Measuring and Reversing Changes to Wetlands.” Wetlands Ecology and Management 11 (2003): 397–401.
O’Donnell, Colin F J. “Breeding of the Australasian Bittern (Botaurus Poiciloptilus) in New Zealand.” Emu 111, no. 3 (2011): 197–201.
Opoku, Joanitta Asabea. “Effects of Human Encroachment on Wetlands in Ghana: The Case of Sakumono Ramsar Site.” University of Cape Coast, 2013.
———. “Effects of Human Encroachment on Wetlands in Ghana: The Case of Sakumono Ramsar Site.” University of Cape Coast, 2013.
Paintsil – Dadzie, E. “Effects of Urbanisation on Coastal Wetlands: The Case of the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis.” University of Cape Coast, 2014.
Ramsar Convention Secretariat. “Wetland Inventory: A Ramsar Framework for Wetland Inventory and Ecological Character Description.” Ramsar Handbooks for the Wise Use of Wetlands, 2010.
Richard, Don E, Kevin P England, and Doug Connell. “Wetland Restoration Remediates Chlorinated Solvents in Groundwater and Protects Surface Water.” Phytoremediation, Wetlands, and Sediments. Battelle Press, Columbus, Ohio, 2001.
Ronca, Debra. “How Wetlands Work,” 2012. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/wetland1.html.
Sackey, I, W M Kpikpi, and A W M Imoro. “Ecological Studies in the Iture Estuary Mangrove Forest in Ghana.” J. Ghana Sci. Assoc 13, no. 2 (2011): 37–44.
Sarfo-Mensah, Paul, and William Oduro. “Changes in Beliefs and Perceptions about the Natural Environment in the Forest-Savanna Transitional Zone of Ghana: The Influence of Religion,” 2010.
Segbefia, Jennifer, Francis K. E. Nunoo, and D. R. Hederickc. “Species Composition, Abundance, and Growth of Three Common Fish Species of the Volta Estuary, Ghana.” International Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture 3, no. 1 (2013): 79–97.
Shahabuddin, Ghazala, and Madhu Rao. “Do Community-Conserved Areas Effectively Conserve Biological Diversity? Global Insights and the Indian Context.” Biological Conservation 143, no. 12 (2010): 2926–36.
Turner II, B. L., William C. Clark, Robert W. Kates, and John F. Richards. The Earth as Transformed by Human Action: Global and Regional Changes in the Biosphere over the Past 300 Years. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press , 1993.
Turner, R Kerry, Stavros Georgiou, Roy Brouwer, Ian J Bateman, and I J Langford. “Towards an Integrated Environmental Assessment for Wetland and Catchment Management.” Geographical Journal 169, no. 2 (2003): 99–116.
UNEP/CBD. “Water Security Depends on Forests and Wetlands.” International Year United States. Environmental Protection Agency., 2011.
Wójcicki, Krzysztof J, and Beata Woskowicz-Ślęzak. “Anthropogenic Causes of Wetland Loss and Degradation in the Lower Kłodnica Valley (Southern Poland).” Environmental & Socio-Economic Studies 3, no. 4 (2015): 20–29.
Wuver, A M. “The Impact of Human Activities on Biodiversity Conservation in a Coastal Wetland in Ghana.” West African Journal of Applied Ecology 9, no. 1 (2006).
Yalley, P P K, E Opintan-Baah, and J O Darko. “Evaluating the Performance of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Ghanaian Building Constructional Industries (a Case Study Area Kumasi and SekondiTakoradi Metropolises).” Refereed Journal of Engineering and Science (IRJES), 2 (1), 2013.
Amadu Issaka holds an MPhil. in Geography and is currently a Tutor at the Wesley College of Education, Kumasi Ghana. His research focuses on Anthropogeomorphology, Geography Education, Environmental Geography. Mr. Amadu Issaka is also a member of the Ghana Geographers Association.
Issaka, Amadu. “An Assessment of the Laws and Policies on the Iture-Abakam Wetlands: Issues of Protection and Management,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.7 (2024): 1250-1264. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245715
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
