Centre for Coastal Management, Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana; Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Centre for Coastal Management, Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana; Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
J Environ Manage. 2023 Sep 15;342:118224. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118224. Epub 2023 Jun 1.
In this study, a qualitative research method using Driver Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) framework was employed to assess the drivers of environmental degradation and their implications on Anlo and Sanwoma coastal communities in the Western Region of Ghana. Pollution Index (PI) and Environmental Risk Factor (ERF) were estimated in Pra and Ankobra estuaries, respectively, in Anlo and Sanwoma communities to complement the qualitative assessment in the studied coastal communities. The state and condition of the coastal ecosystems are critical to the well-being and livelihood of the residents of the two coastal communities. Therefore, it was important to assess the drivers of environmental degradation and their consequences on the coastal communities. The findings showed that the coastal communities were severely degraded and were in a vulnerable state due to the impact of drivers such as gold mining, farming, improper waste disposal, and illegal fishing that pressurize the environment. Also, PI and ERFs showed that the estuaries in Anlo and Sanwoma coastal communities were contaminated with metals such as arsenic, lead, zinc, and iron. Some of the impacts of the environmental degradation on the communities included reduction in fish catch and health-related ailments among the residents of the two communities. Unfortunately, regulatory policies by government and efforts of non-governmental organisations and members of the two coastal communities to address the environmental issues have not yielded the desired results. It is recommended that there should be urgent interventions by policymakers to stop further degradations in the coastal communities to enhance the well-being and livelihoods of the residents of Anlo and Sanwoma.
在这项研究中,采用了定性研究方法,利用驱动力-压力-状态-影响-响应(DPSIR)框架,评估了加纳西部地区安洛和桑沃马沿海社区环境退化的驱动因素及其影响。分别在安洛和桑沃马社区的普拉和安克布拉河口估算了污染指数(PI)和环境风险因子(ERF),以补充对研究沿海社区的定性评估。沿海生态系统的状态对这两个沿海社区居民的福祉和生计至关重要。因此,评估环境退化的驱动因素及其对沿海社区的影响非常重要。研究结果表明,由于金矿开采、农业、不当废物处理和非法捕捞等驱动因素的影响,沿海社区严重退化,处于脆弱状态,这些因素给环境带来了压力。此外,PI 和 ERF 表明,安洛和桑沃马沿海社区的河口受到砷、铅、锌和铁等金属的污染。环境退化对社区的一些影响包括鱼类捕获量减少以及两个社区居民的健康问题。不幸的是,政府的监管政策以及非政府组织和两个沿海社区成员为解决环境问题所做的努力并没有取得预期的结果。建议政策制定者应立即采取干预措施,停止沿海社区的进一步退化,以提高安洛和桑沃马居民的福祉和生计。