Encroachment in Sakumo Ramsar site has been intensified by unscrupulous persons who are blazingly building at the ramsar site.
A Ramsar site is a wetland area recognized for its international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. These wetlands are protected and managed according to the convention’s principles, which emphasize conservation and wise use of these valuable ecosystems. The designation as a Ramsar site is an indication that the wetland has been identified as significant for various reasons, including biodiversity, ecological functions, and cultural or recreational values.
ongoing construction at the Sakumo Ramsar site
But the aforementioned significance of a ramsar site can not be said of the Sakumo ramsar site which has become a hub for encroachers.
A visit by our Editor on Wednesday (May 21, 2025) revealed that illegal structures have been sited on part of the Sakumo Lagoon buffer, where the land had been filled for construction purposes, narrowing the watercourse in the process.
The filling of the lagoon has resulted in severe flooding in and around the lagoon displacing people living on the downstream.
Recent heavy downpour exposed the dangers that portend at the Ramsar site as walls have been erected, an indication of constructions.
Even though the Greater Accra regional Minister, Hon. Linda Ocloo and the Managing Director of Tema Development Corporation(TDC), Courage Nunekpeku, are determined to reclaim the encroached area of the Ramsar site by demolishing structures at the site, unscrupulous persons at the Nungua Traditional Authority continue to sell portions of the ramsar site to persons.
Ramsar site, flooded due to construction and encroachment
Many have accused the Dzaasetse of the Nungua Traditional Council, Nii Botwe Laryea for the sale of the lands, an allegations he continuously denies.
Given the extent of encroachment with its attendant ramifications, Government must confront the situation in a draconian manner in order to save the ramsar site from further encroachment and possible depletion.
The Sakumo Ramsar Site consists of a coastal brackish-saline lagoon and surrounding floodplains, freshwater marshes, coastal savannah grasslands with thicket vegetation, and a narrow dune linking them to the sea. The Site is the third most important waterbird site on the Ghanaian coast and provides nesting and breeding habitat for several bird species; it supports over 70 species with an estimated 30,000 individuals regularly relying on its resources during their migration and breeding. Notable birds include the spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus) and common greenshank (Tringa nebularia), little stint (Calidris minuta) and black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus). The Site is also home to important marine and freshwater fish species, including the blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron), which makes up about 97% of the fish population.
Source:www.senaradioonline.com
