Implementing Agency:
Department For International Development (WNAD)

Managing Institute:
Department For International Development (WNAD)

Contractor

Ghana Wildlife Department (GWD)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Project Code: 025-502-016 025-502-012	Start Date: 01/02/1996	End Date: 31/03/1997
Commitment: £288,420 + 12,780	Status: Current	Type of Funding: Bilateral - TC

Project Background:
The wider project - of which this is Phase 1 - seeks to develop landowner and community-based approaches for the rehabilitation and long-term sustainable use and management of the mangrove resources in the Volta River estuary area, which are believed to have become severely degraded as a result of over-exploitation for use as domestic fuelwood and in the smoking of fish. It is expected that the rehabilitation of the mangrove forest will result in the restoration of the mangrove ecosystem more generally, and that it will, in addition to providing economic and social benefits to the substantial rural and urban populations in the project area, provide a mechanism through which biodiversity can be maintained.

In order to establish that the extent of the remaining mangrove resource in the proposed project area adjacent to the Volta river estuary is sufficient to justify the mounting of a full preparation/ feasibility phase of the project, NRI were commissioned by WNAD to obtain and analyse Landsat TM satellite imagery of the proposed project area, in order to map and quantify the mangrove resource prior to project approval. Preliminary analysis has demonstrated that there are substantial homogenous areas of dense mangrove along the Volta estuary and main water courses in the proposed project area, with relict patches widely scattered in the lagoon system.

Project Objectives:
To make sufficient information available on the ecological, social and economic potential for community-based sustainable management of the mangrove ecosystem in the Lower Volta to enable preparation, appraisal and approval of implementation phase.

Intended Outputs:
Project management system installed and operational.

Review and synthesis of lessons learned from international experience of mangrove management of relevance to Ghana completed.

Time-series baseline maps of vegetation, hydrology, settlements, and existing and planned infrastructure produced.

Analysis of changes over time, and identification of potential for regeneration of mangrove forest completed.

Analysis of the productivity and regeneration potential of mangroves, and the relationship between mangrove and aquatic production and biodiversity in selected areas completed.

Description and analysis of the social and economic significance of the mangrove ecosystem to the local population completed.

Description and analysis of past and present local property (land and water) and resource management regimes, and of opportunities for and constraints to the adaptation of these to sustainable community use of the mangrove ecosystem, completed.

Collaboratively-prepared draft project document for follow-up implementation phase produced.

Ghana Wildlife Dept staff trained in core disciplines required for the project and able to undertake further studies independently.