Mangrove Conditions as Indicator for Potential Payment for Ecosystem Services in Some Estuaries of Western Region of Ghana, West Africa - The Land/Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone of West and Central Africa - page 154

Table 3 Characteristics of mangrove wood use and per ha value of mangroves for fuelwood within a typical fishing community (Effasu, Greater
Amanzule wetlands, Ghana)
Characteristics Sub-characteristics Estimates

Population 260

Number of households 29

Household size 9

Fish species smoked Tele, Sardenella spp

Provenance of mangrove wood Bought from wood cutters

Number of wood stacks 23

Wood stack dimensions (maximum) Length (m) 2.9

Width (m) 2.0

Height (m) 1.4

Volume (m 3 ) 8.1

Wood cost Cost/stack 60 Ghana cedis (US$40)

Cost/stere 7.41 Ghana cedis (US$4.94)

Cost/m 3 14.64 Ghana cedis (US$9.76)

Cost/tonne 16.44 Ghana cedis (US$10.96)

Cost/ha a 4,147 Ghana cedis (US$2,765)

a

Based on mangrove wood stocking rate (excluding roots) of 283.25 m 3 /ha (Table 2 )

Table 4 Community fuelwood consumption and impacts on surrounding mangrove forests within the Effasu fishing community (Greater
Amanzule wetlands, Ghana)
Region Turnover rates (m 3 /year) Activity Deforestation rates (ha/year) Source

Per household Per capita Per household Per capita

West Africa (Effasu
mangrove community Ghana)

Cooking 15.83 1.76 0.06 0.006 This survey

Fish smoking 97.44 10.83 0.34 0.038

Central Africa (Douala-Edea
mangrove villages: Mbiako,
Yoyo I & II)

Cooking 19.74 2.50 0.004 Ajonina and

Usongo ( 2001 )

Fish smoking 105.58 13.39 0.024

projects. In return, the profits are shared among the com-
munities. The people take pride in their communities and the
reserve, and the success of the project has provided elec-
tricity and better roads in the villages. The people now
harvest and store fish instead of turtles and profit from tourist
activities including homestays. The efforts of GWS have
provided a means of sustainable development for the lagoon
and reserve that have caught the attention of the government
of Ghana and private tourism operators, especially the Eco-
Lodge at Beyin (Fig. 7 ). Recently, they recognized the
success of the Amanzule Conservation and Integrated
Development Project during a presentation at a government
conference (Fig. 6 ).

of offshore and onshore construction and operations on both
the marine and the terrestrial environments. The publication
contends that today in the Western Region, the multiple
causes and consequences of ecosystem change are over-
shadowed by the prospect of oil and gas development. How
the exploitation of this new source of wealth, employment
and development pressures is managed is said to determine
whether the result will be a new and generous source of
national income with employment and business opportuni-
ties that benefit both the Western Region and the country as a
whole, or yet another example of the curse of oil. Questions
posed include the following: how will the jobs and the wealth
produced be distributed? Will local Ghanaian companies be
formed to provide the services required by new industries?
Will the local labour force be trained to fill new employment
opportunities or will skilled labour be imported and earnings
flow overseas? Who will benefit and who will lose? The
discovery of oil and gas and associated onshore infrastructure
development will undoubtedly impact heavily on natural
resources and especially local livelihoods. In addition to the
above concerns, the mangrove environments and the delivery

Prospects of Oil and Gas Industry

A number of interesting concerns are posed and questions
asked in a recent coastal publication Hen Mpoano—Our
Coast, Our Future, Western Region of Ghana (Anon. 2010 )
concerning booming prospects of oil and gas and the impacts