Assessment of coastal ecosystems in the greater cape three points area towards its designation as marine protected area in Ghana

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems sustain local and national fisheries livelihoods through a range of ecosystem services (ES) they provide. Five of these coastal ecosystems, located in two communities within the Greater Cape Three Points (GCTP) area—Princess Town (PT) and Cape Three Points (C3P)—were assessed to develop a scheme for establishing Marine Protected Area (MPA). To conduct an integrated assessment, the study employed the Community Participatory Mapping and Assessment of ecosystems and their services method. This was complimented with Field Ecological Assessment, Economic Valuation of ES, Cost-Benefit Analysis of fishing and Risk Assessment of the ecosystems using InVEST HRA model, V.3.7. The study revealed that the coastal water bodies provide nursery for important fish species (Sardinella maderensis, Pseudotolithus senegalensis and Tilapia spp.) in the Ghanaian fishery. Physico-chemical parameters measured for the Nyan estuary and Enhuli lagoon for a one year period (November, 2017 – November, 2018) indicted that both water bodies were in generally good condition to support aquatic life. ES prioritized by the Princess Town community were valued at US$ 2,917.41 ha-1yr-1 for a total area of 239.3 ha, whilst those prioritized by the Cape Three Points community were valued at US$ 22,566.84 ha-1yr-1 for a total area of 17.6 ha. The study established that the ecosystems assessed in the GCTP area were cumulatively at low – to – medium risk to a combination of anthropogenic pressures exerted on them. The study developed a proposed MPA map plan for the GCTP area. The plan proposed a network of multiple-use MPAs with special dedicated zones for regulation of activities with different levels of restrictions to enhance ecosystem conservation for the sustenance of fisheries livelihoods and also create the opportunity for developing ecotourism in the area.