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This study assessed Ghana's national and international environmental commitments, laws and policies and the stakeholders' capacity to protect and manage the wetlands of a metropolis, Kumasi. The methods adopted included field surveys, desk studies (literature review), and interviews with various stakeholders. The results show that despite the sprawling urbanisation, patches of wetlands exist with relatively high diversity. The study further reveals that Ghana is a signatory to many international environmental conventions and treaties irrespective of the required obligations and commitments. However, the translation of the obligations of these conventions and treaties into local laws and policies, their implementation and enforcement have been woefully inadequate. Institutions mandated to oversee these processes are under-resourced or undermined by a multitude of issues. Whilst the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and its planning and hydrological units have the personnel and technical competence to deal with wetland issues, the National Disaster Management Organisation, on the contrary, has the financial and logistical support without the needed technical competence to manage wetland and flood challenges. For a developing country like Ghana, an integrated and collaborative approach between stakeholders is advocated based on a model that focuses on social and technical management of floods and wetlands for implementation by these stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghana's marine artisanal fisheries subsector is an important contributor to livelihoods, food security and nutrition. Despite formal institutions and laws, annual landings of small pelagic species, the most important fishery in local communities, have been declining. In Ghana, fisheries management using traditional fisheries knowledge could be crucial for food and economic security and critical towards achieving the UN Sustainable Developments Goals (SDG). This study was therefore conducted to document the fishing, fish processing and fisheries management practices of the Ga people of Ghana as a starting point for sustaining the fisheries, local fishing communities and fish value chains. Data were collected from three landing beaches using interviews and focus group discussions with fishermen, fishmongers and the respective chief fisherman. The results include findings on fishing gears and techniques, fish processing and sales and traditional fisheries management and leadership. The dominant gear used are varied forms of drift and purse seine nets on motorised canoes. Fishermen navigate using the moon, features on land, sea depth and the direction and sound of sea waves. Behavioural patterns of different fish species are used to identify fishes in the water during fishing. Catches are distributed by the canoe owner's wife, and money from the sale is divided into three equal shares: a part to pay for fishing expenses and the other parts for the owner of the canoe and the fishing crew. The main fish processing method is smoking using the Chorkor oven. At each landing site, there is a chief fisherman who is respected as a repository of traditional knowledge on fishing practices and fisheries management. This study provides key insights into Ga traditional knowledge and highlights the need to incorporate and involve fishing communities in national fisheries policymaking. It is argued that traditional knowledge and leaders can contribute to a more sustainable management of Ghanaian fisheries and achieving SDGs 14, 1 and 2. The results of this study can also serve as a preliminary information basis and a guide for a possible adoption of the ecosystem approach to fisheries in Ghana. This could enable the country to fully fulfil her obligations under the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jatropha for biofuel production created high expectations in Ghana for boosting rural development and national energy security. In the mid-to-late 2000s, large areas were allocated across the country to jatropha investments that eventually collapsed. Jatropha collapse has been prevalent across Africa but few studies have empirically addressed the (a) drivers of jatropha collapse (b) post-collapse impacts, and (c) future acceptability of jatropha. Through household surveys and expert interviews, we capture the perceptions of key stakeholders in Ghana involved in the biofuel sector at the national/regional level and local communities around six collapsed jatropha projects. Key drivers of collapse include the (a) low jatropha productivity, (b) weak business planning, (c) community conflicts, (d) institutional barriers, and (e) civil society opposition. Land-related issues are central to almost all of these drivers of collapse. While there is currently considerable scepticism among stakeholders about the future of the biofuel sector in Ghana (and especially of jatropha), there is still some interest in jatropha as reflected in community surveys and recent government policies. As we could not identify a single dominant driver of jatropha collapse locally or nationally "silver bullet" solutions might not exist. However, improving the land administration system would be a key if the negative past experiences of jatropha boom and bust are to be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, aquaculture production is faced with numerous challenges, notable among which is water quality. The study determined seasonal environmental changes in Lake Volta and its implications on cage production of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus in experimental and commercial farm (Sun Woo Farm) set-ups. For each set-up, three cages were used, each measuring 81 and 162.5 m3 for experimental and commercial, respectively. The cages were stocked with 22.5 g fingerlings at a rate of 40 and 80 m−3 in experimental and commercial cages, respectively, and fed commercial diet. The growth performance, yield, economics, and selected water quality parameters were monitored during the dry and wet seasons between November 2014 and July 2015. There were no differences in water quality parameters between dry and wet seasons (p > 0.05). Water quality for both seasons remained within limits required for good Tilapia growth in both set-ups. There were minimal variations in growth characteristics between seasons which were not significant; however, final mean weight and yields were high in the dry seasons in both set-ups. The cost of feed and fingerling accounting for about 80% of total costs were the major components identified to affect cost of production. A higher profit index and returns on investment were observed in the dry season in both set-ups and was linked to higher survival rates in the season. Production of Nile tilapia in cages can be cultured throughout the year without any adverse effects as exhibited in similar production patterns in both experimental and commercial set-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the commonest probiotics incorporated in aquafeeds. An 84-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of varying dietary inclusions of S. cerevisiae, 0% (control), 3% (YF3), 5% (YF5), and 7% (YF7), on growth, stress tolerance, and disease resistance in juvenile (body mass ~ 21 g) Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fish were randomly distributed in groups of 20 into 12 1-m3 hapas and fed isoenergetic (~ 17 kJ g−1 gross energy) and isonitrogenous (~ 300 g kg−1 crude protein) diets at 3% of their bulk weight daily. Specific growth rates were significantly higher for the yeast-fed fish (0.77-0.78% day−1) than for the control fish (0.60% day−1) and resulted in significantly higher mean final weights for the yeast-treated groups. Protein and lipid retention efficiencies were also significantly higher in the yeast-fed fish than in the control group. In subsequent stress challenge trials, the yeast-fed fish had greater tolerance to acute heat as well as hypoxia exposure than the control fish. Survival rates of the yeast-treated groups following sudden exposure to elevated water temperature (40 °C) ranged from 82.5 to 100% compared to 15% for the control. Mean survival rates following a 24-h hypoxia exposure were also generally significantly higher for the yeast-fed fish. The probiotic groups recorded a relative percent survival (RPS) of 75% after a 14-day Aeromonas hydrophila infection challenge. The results of this study indicate that S. cerevisiae as an additive in Nile tilapia diets has beneficial impacts on growth, stress tolerance, and disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood is a normal ecosystem phenomenon and a natural hydrological feature of most river systems. Climate variability may also bring about precipitation events that cause floods. However, recent floods in most areas may be anthropogenically induced and are on a spatial and temporal increase. This study assessed rainfall variability, flooding and the adaptations of slum residents to floods in Kumasi, Ghana. Rainfall data of Kumasi were collected from the Meteorological Services Department, Accra. Basic descriptive statistics of rainfall data were used to evaluate the rainfall variability. The Mann-Kendall test was used to assess rainfall trends. A survey of residents of flood-prone suburbs was conducted to assess their vulnerability and adaptations to floods. The results show that rainfall in March and November is significantly decreasing. The floods in Kumasi are not due to climate change but bad spatial development practices. Most people will pump out water and build embankments around their houses as adaptations to the floods. Flooding in Kumasi will continue to outwit local government initiatives of storm drain construction because the floods are predominantly due to development of effluent streams and less from flash floods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of wetlands to livelihood in the forms of resources of direct consumptive uses, fishing and agriculture are of great importance to riparian communities in sub-Saharan Africa. It is unfortunate to note that these same areas are being degraded and converted to informal settlements through uncontrolled urbanisation. To improve urban environments and meet the various development targets, efforts are being made to rid sub-Saharan African cities of these informal wetland associated slums. The difficulty, however, lies in delineating wetland boundaries. This research is therefore aimed at determining the vegetation diversity of wetlands in Kumasi, Ghana and to identify and characterise the typical urban wetland and factors that influence the small scale heterogeneity in distribution of the wetland vegetation. Ten relatively large wetland sites associated with streams within the Kumasi Metropolis were selected for this study. Sampling in each site was done using 1 m quadrats laid at 10 m intervals from the water channel. All plant species in each quadrat were identified. The soil and hydrologic conditions of each site were studied. A total of 112 species were identified in the 10 study sites. The study sites were found to be significantly different from each other in environmental conditions and species distribution. Species in these study sites could, however, be grouped into clusters according to the presence or absence of surface water. A wetland in Kumasi was found to be typified by high percentage organic carbon with Thelypteris palustris as the dominant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]