Ghana

Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority

The pilot project is co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, and implemented by GRID-Arendal, the Abidjan Convention Secretariat and UNEP.

Increased population growth coupled with boom ineconomic activities in the western end of the country as a result of oil and gas discovery in the area. • Improper land uses such as in agriculture and human settlements • Conflicts in the use of shared resources among various users • Sea level rise and increased vulnerability to flooding as a result of effects of climate change, coastal/shoreline erosion • Declining fish catch, pollution, loss of livelihood, poor quality of life, food insecurities, disease and displacement of communities. It is projected, for example, that a rise in sea level of 80 cm by 2100 will result in flooding and shoreline recession, putting coastal communities, ecosystems and some critical infrastructure at risk (MTDF 2017-2021) • Improper disposal of domestic and industrial waste and its adverse effects on coastal and marine ecosystems. These issues are a global phenomenon and attracting the world attention. In Ghana, the inefficient waste disposal, coupled with bad practices within the agriculture and mining sectors and lack of political will to enforce legal regimes, result in the pollution of waterways, wetlands, degradation of coastal lagoons and marine habitats. It is estimated that about 22% of solid and 97% of liquid waste generated in major towns and cities are not properly disposed of in the country. • Increased deforestation in river catchment areas, invasion of water bodies by weeds, excessive siltation of water bodies, marine algae bloom among others have had their toll on coastal and marine ecosystems. Intensified human activities in ecologically sensitive areas as a result of absence of appropriate spatial plans to guide and manage activities within the coastal and marine zone, particularly the shorefront, flood plains and the conversion of wetlands to other forms of land uses such as residential.

The project covers three components. This involves describing Ecological and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) and State of Marine Environment (SOME) Report. The above-mentioned components will serve as critical input for the preparation of the Marine Spatial Plan (MSP). The resultant plan will cover issues of coastal management.