Atidza

Intertidal habitats are harsh environments for wildlife. The daily onslaught of seawater means only a limited number of species have the capacity to inhabit salt marshes and estuarine mudflats. An even much tougher environment for plants. But mangrove forests have appeared in areas where indigenous people did not plant them — to keep watch. We did not understand them very well in the past. Now we do. Adapted to harsh environments on the edge of tropical and subtropical seas, mangroves are an important link between land and ocean. Mangroves in Ghana: There were thousands of red mangroves (Rhizophora species) around the Densu Delta in the past. There are only around 16 left now, having been cut down mainly for fish traps and fuelwood. Mangrove habitats provide a number of important ecosystem services, including holding coastal sediments in place. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantOne of the last remaining mangrove trees against McCarthy Hills residential areas in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantRed mangrove aerial roots. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Mangrove forests stabilize shorelines, reduce erosion, and provide essential habitats for a variety of animals, including threatened and endangered species. But these critical habitats are disappearing at an alarming rate in the tropics, including Ghana. We have lost 50% of the world’s mangroves in the past 50 years, says the Global Mangrove Alliance. More than 40% of the total global area of mangroves is in just 4 countries: Indonesia (19%), Brazil (9%), Nigeria (7%), and Mexico (6%). The video below explores the realities of the impacts of fisheries and human activities on a critical coastal ecosystem — a deltaic wetland in Accra, Ghana's capital city. It's a short story about the changing environment and its effects on the people who rely on it as a source of jobs and food. A lesson for us all. There are now only around 16 red mangrove (Rhizophora species) trees left around the Densu Delta. There were thousands of them in the past. The video explains why: https://youtu.be/3V-VqiwYkHE Mangroves in Ghana Statistics Mangrove forest in the Ezile River near Akwidaa, the most populous southernmost town in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Total mangrove area in Ghana covers around 137 km², according to a 2007 UNEP report. Mangroves in Ghana are mostly found in nearshore lagoons and estuarine environments — mainly along the western coastline between Ivory Coast and Cape Three Points. This includes the Greater Amanzule Wetlands and Akwidaa (around 7 km onwards from the Cape Three Points area). The Volta Delta region has the second-largest mangrove population in Ghana. The UNEP study identified six (6) main species of mangroves in Ghana: Rhizophora racemosa Avicennia germinansLaguncularia racemosaRhizophora harrisoniiConocarpus erectusAcrostichum aureum A Ramsar designated site, the Densu Delta area in Accra was once home to thousands of Rhizophora species. There are now only around 16 Rhizophora racemosa left standing — having all been cut down for fish traps, lumber, and fuelwood. The remaining stands of Avicennia germinans around the Densu Delta are also under threat. The degradation around the Densu Delta — the main focus of this page — stands in stark contrast to the trends in other mangrove-colonized areas of Ghana. No Fish to Catch, Fisherman is Going into Commercial Driving After 25 years of Fishing Portrait of an urban poor fisherman. Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant "We have cut them all down — for fish traps and fuelwood.” “There were many many red mangrove trees around here,” said David Kpaligah, a fisherman around the Densu Delta. “They are all gone now. We have cut them all down — for fish traps and fuelwood.” David has an everyday experience with mangrove trees. He has been fishing around the Densu River since 1995. But there are now no more fish for him to catch. Compared with marine fisheries, Ghana's collapsing inland fisheries have received little to no attention at all. “The environment has changed. I now want to stop fishing and become a commercial driver because there’s nothing left for me to catch,” David added, with a hint of regret in his voice. David Kpaligah: Urban poor Ghanaian fisherman working through sunset. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant At almost 50 years of age and after 25 years of fishing, David wants to start taking driving lessons — to take care of his family of 10 children and a wife. David is indeed aware (as you can see in the video) of the key role, for instance, red mangroves play in mangrove fish assemblages. Cutting down mangrove trees seems to have been a mainstay of the area’s economy, dating back to the early 80s. A lone red mangrove (Rhizophora racemosa). There were thousands of them around the Densu delta. There are now only around 16 of them left. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantRed mangroves (Rhizophora-racemosa). Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant According to David, red mangroves colonized the Densu Delta area before Ghana’s 1983 famine . People trooped in from nearby areas, including Tsokomey, Bortianor, and Faanaa, to cut down the red mangrove trees for fuelwood during the famine. Cutting down the black mangrove trees (Avicennia germinans) intensified from 2012 after a different group of people took over 'ownership' of some parts of the area, David told me. The 80s famine period was probably the golden age of cutting down mangrove trees around the Densu Delta. What Are The Ecological Benefits of Mangrove Trees? A lone mangrove tree in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Mangroves are transitional ecosystems, especially near the Densu Delta, where freshwater, land, and the ocean meet. Mangroves ensure the sustainability of coastal ecosystems. For instance, many fish species around the Densu Delta rely on mangrove biomass for productivity. Support for wildlife — including monkeys, crocodiles, migrating songbirds, and many shorebirds species. Mangroves in Ghana: Great egrets, little egrets, black herons, and western reef herons under the shade of one of the last remaining red mangrove tree (Rhizophora racemosa) around the Densu Delta. Mangroves are known to support rich biodiversity. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantRed mangrove (Rhizophora racemosa) aerial roots. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Mangroves serve as breeding and nursery habitats for many fish species, including blackchin tilapia, grey snapper, mosquito fish, and leatherjacket fish . Many fish species and crustaceans rely on mangrove ecosystems. Wetland ecosystems teem with life. #half Mangrove crabs hang onto a dead black mangrove branch. Densu Delta, Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant#half Mangrove crabs crowded on a dead black mangrove tree branch. Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantMale fiddler crab (Uca tangeri) in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Female fiddler crab (Uca tangeri) in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Fiddler crabs claw-dance to mark their territory and attract females. You can see this in the video. Though they don’t engage in violence at all times, they also use the claws as weapons during duels. Reed cormorants (long-tailed cormorant) in the Densu River. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant The Densu Delta intertidal area hosts a large population of reed cormorants. Also known as long-tailed cormorants, they spend their time diving and swimming underwater with their webbed feet to snatch fish for a meal. Degradation and habitat loss from the cutting down of mangrove trees put pressure on bird species around the delta. As a source of jobs and food. Populations living near the coast depend on mangroves for their livelihoods. Some harvest them for house construction. Others use and sell them for fuel, and their antibacterial properties. Older African man about to cast a net near a mangrove tree. Mangrove forests are known to support fisheries jobs, but they are under threat in many countries, including Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantFisherman in Ghana: 76 years old urban poor fisherman takes a rest under the shade of a mangrove tree (Rhizophora racemosa) in Accra, Ghana's capital city. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant As you can see on this page, it also helps the fishermen to construct brush parks. The urban poor also relies on fish from these artificial habitats as a source of food and livelihoods. The urban poor who rely on trading the fish caught in the lagoon and tidal areas are now on the brink of extreme poverty due to declining fish catch. Urban poor fish processors in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantFisheries in Ghana: Urban poor women process fish in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantInland fisheries and livelihoods: urban poor woman process blackchin tilapia in the Densu River. Inland fisheries in Ghana support thousands of livelihoods. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant You can sense the pain of Victoria Governor in the video. I felt deeply for her. They were very appreciative of the little money I donated to them the last time I was there. They can use some help right now, especially as the pandemic is projected to plunge more than 70 million people into extreme poverty. I will be going back soon to support them with whatever money I have managed to gather on my own. Provide coastal protection. You may not even know it, but mangroves could be protecting your property from flooding if you live near the coast. #half Black mangroves in Ghana: (avicennia-germinans). Densu Delta, Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant#half Mangroves in Ghana: Photo of a red mangrove tree (Rhizophora racemosa). Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Mangroves play important roles in defending coastlines against erosions by trapping sediments. They reduce risks from strong winds, wave attacks, and also act as a buffer against storm surges. Carbon sequestration. As natural carbon sinks, mangroves sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their biomass over long periodsThey do this even more effectively than tropical rainforests. This helps to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Rhizophora racemosa aerial roots. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Despite the many ecological benefits, these trees are being decimated at an alarming rate around the Densu. The red mangroves are gone. So those are out of the question. The remaining black mangrove stands are also on their way out. These photographs where within 5 minutes part. Saw this one: Mangroves in Ghana: Fisherman in Accra transports felled black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) to construct Atidza or Acadja brush parks. Atidza/Acadja brush parks create artificial habitats to entrap many fish species, including blackchin tilapia. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Turned around a few minutes later and saw this: Man had cut down black mangrove trees and transporting the branches on a wooden canoe to construct Atidza or Acadja brush parks. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant These trees have well-arranged themselves on tideland mud. They are inundated at least twice every day with seawater. They already have a tough life. Densu Delta fishers are indeed aware of the key roles of mangroves in fish assemblages. You can see David explain this in the video above. Why do they still cut them down? Why Do Coastal Populations Still Cut Down the Incredibly Important Mangrove Trees? Man transports black mangrove branches over the Densu River to construct brush parks. Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Densu Delta’s intertidal habitats support livelihoods and provide essential food, including blackchin tilapia, blue crabs, and oysters. They also serve as spawning grounds and nurseries for a wide variety of species. Mangroves play an important role in this. Despite its support for fish assemblages, mangroves in the area have been decimated in recent years for Atidza brush parks. Atidza Brush Park Method of Fishing in Ghana You probably saw the environmental footprints of the Atidza method of fishing in the video. Atidza around the Densu River involves sinking mangrove brush bundles to the bottom of the water to create artificial habitats. Blackchin tilapia takes refuge in the shelters, form schools, and spawn there. They also serve as nursery habitats for juvenile fish. The fish populations thinking they are safe, the fishermen wait several weeks before harvesting them. Methods of fishing in Ghana: Urban poor fisherman attends to his Atidza brush park in the Densu River in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantUrban poor fisherman removes mangrove brush bundles from a brush park. Fishermen in the area regularly cut down mangrove trees to use them for fish traps. This unsustainable practice has degraded the mangrove vegetation around the Densu Delta in Accra, Ghana's capital city. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantFisherman removes mangrove brush bundles from his Atidza trap in the Densu River. Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantFishing in Ghana: Fisherman in Ghana is removing brush piles and debris from a brush park in order to harvest blackchin tilapia. This trap is locally known as Atidza. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantAtidza or Acadja Brush Park Fishing: Urban poor fishermen use mangrove brush woods to create artificial habitat to attract Blackhin Tilapia (sarotherodon melanotheron) in the Densu River in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantTilapia fishing in Ghana: Joseph Akagbo (front) and Selassie Tsetsogbi (back) are Atidza/Acadja Blackchin Tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) fishermen. They use black mangrove woods to create brush shelters to enhance Blackchin Tilapia production in the Densu Delta in Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantAtidza (in Densu River) harvested blackchin tilapia. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantBlackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) harvested near the River Densu's lagoon in Accra, Ghana's capital city. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant They use a net to surround the shelter and gradually remove the submerged branches and debris until the net is drawn together to entrap the fish. A new habitat is rebuilt simultaneously with the old mangrove bundles. This method of fishing is actually practiced in many parts of West Africa, including Benin and Nigeria. I have filmed the Atidza process in the video above. Do see it if you haven't. What Are The Downsides of Atidza? Fishing in Ghana: Fisherman attends to his brush park in the Densu River after 4 weeks. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Atidza supports countless livelihoods, yes, but it is clearly not a sustainable practice around the Densu Delta. Overfishing has led to a decline in fish catch around the area. As a result, a lot of the fishermen are having to expand by creating more Atidza traps. The longer the wait, the more fish are caught, but they cannot wait for several weeks to harvest just one trap. Having a few of these traps means they can harvest one or two every week. David has nine of these traps, rotating almost every week. This frustration has led to the fishers regularly cutting down the mangrove trees to use them for the Atidza traps. Aside from the impacts of Atidza on mangrove vegetation, this method of fishing also put pressure on fish populations in the area, including pre-spawning fish. Disappearing Salt Marshes Mangroves and salt marshes. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Salt marshes reduce flooding, filter runoffs, and protect coastlines from erosion. Sea level rise and the Weija Reservoir spillage have resulted in significant salt marsh biomass loss around the Densu Delta. Vast swaths of the deltaic marshes in the area have drowned and transforming into tidal flats. Tides are coming farther inland. As you saw in the video, ocean tides now cover the lower marsh areas — squeezing the rest against drier land. Home for several species, they are disappearing along with the life systems they support. There probably wouldn't be much left of the marshes by the end of the decade. For Landscape and Nature Photography lovers A few photographs for landscape and nature photography lovers: Mangroves in Ghana: Fishermen around the Densu River regularly cut down mangrove trees to construct fish traps. There are only around 16 red mangroves (Rhizophora racemosa) left in the area. There were thousands of them in the past. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantDJI Mavic Air 2 sample photo: An aerial view of salt marsh in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantSalt marshes and mangroves. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantSalt marsh image. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantMangroves provide vital habitats for wildlife, including birds. But they are under threat. There were thousands of red mangroves around the Densu Delta in the past. There are only around 16 trees left standing now. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantBlack mangrove tree (Avicennia germinans): Aerial view of a lone black mangrove tree standing watch. Fishermen in Ghana cut them down to construct brush parks despite the ecological benefits they provide. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantMavic air 2 landscape photography. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantBlack mangrove trees (Avicennia germinans ) in Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant What is the way forward? The trends on this page are having a serious impact on fish assemblages, distribution, and abundance of mangroves around the Densu Delta. Restoring these coastal wetlands and mangroves would require sustained efforts and commitments. It would also require engaging the populations — by integrating them into management and conservation efforts — who rely on these ecosystems as a source of jobs. In the video, David has admitted that they have been the architects of their own doom. He has even requested for help to restore the disappearing Densu Delta wetland ecosystems. Ghanaian authorities may or may not be aware of this problem. If they are and have ignored it, then that's a problem. If they are not aware — well, that's even a much bigger problem. Making alternative livelihoods accessible to coastal communities should also help to sustain these disappearing ecosystems. Copyrights © 2020 Muntaka Chasant

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