Renewal of fisheries Spatial planning in coastal districts and marine areas

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5.0. The Way Forward

The path ahead for coastal and fisheries governance will not be easy but fortunately, through the Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance Initiative, the journey is already well underway. The coastal zone and marine resources of Ghana’s coastal districts face an uncertain and unpredictable future, like most of the Western Region where the program has focused. The ICFG program has emerged as a powerful source of momentum aimed at shaping a more positive future. The voices documented so clearly in the final report Our Coast, Our Future, Western Region of Ghana. Building Capacity for Adapting to a Rapidly Changing Coastal Zone. Lessons Learned [75] , declare how citizens in coastal districts are now paying attention to how their governance system responds to these changes. The voices have asserted that as they walk this new path, ‘‘Our Coast’’ means advancing with serendipity, conviction, some risk taking and faith. People have learned that paradoxes abound but that in the midst of profound uncertainty in the Western Region, the goal is for deeper understanding and commitment to dealing with economic, social and environmental change with improving governance. Reducing social, physical and economic vulnerability means taking risks. The ICFG signifies that the path to changing others’ behavior begins with changing one’s own. The path ahead involves an unlearning of old ways of thinking about and doing things and affirming the commitment of the people of the Western Region to engage in and support governance change. Much of what has proven successful, especially in the dynamic combination of bottom-up and top-down perspectives into a nested governance approach can be spread and scaled up to other coastal regions, districts, and communities. The challenges facing Ghana’s coast and its people also offer opportunities for taking advantage of the momentum of ICFG and other emerging and ongoing efforts to improve marine and coastal resources management.

5.1 Renewal of fisheries

Strong national leadership on fisheries management and legislative movement toward needed legal and administrative improvements, along with significant assistance becoming available from key funders such as the World Bank and USAID, have been bolstered by the successful Fisheries Dialogue series hosted by the ICFG, where listening and discussion has created a crucial window of opportunity for progress. Windows open, but also close, so the time frame for converging on reform and making concerted efforts to implement needed changes is now, in 2014. In addition to important steps such as establishing and strengthening the Ministry of Fisheries, improving fisheries data, vessel registration, national enforcement capacity and scientific study of key stocks. However, much can be done to expand the stakeholder dialogue to reach all coastal regions, test out approaches to co-management, and improve enforcement and compliance, drawing from the approaches used in the Western Region. Much also needs to be done to address the livelihood, nutrition, education and health needs of fish landing sites and their surrounding communities so they can become much more resilient. Reducing overfishing for the benefit of all will occur only if practical, feasible and acceptable options become available to meet fisher household needs.

5.2 Spatial planning in coastal districts and marine areas

Land based coastal development including rapidly growing human settlements and industrial facilities are causing environmental damage to wetlands and flood plains and coastal ecosystem modifications, as well as displacing settlements and businesses of low-income 21 people in fishing communities and shorefront settlements. The Ghanaian capacity to plan for coastal development has remained low, well behind the pace of change. Through the efforts of the ICFG and other initiatives, greater attention is being paid to improving local governance performance with respect to land use planning and mid-term development planning but few coastal districts have put robust plans and programs in place. With modest continued funding and technical support such as the Western Region Coordinating Council GIS Lab, it is well within possibility to consolidate gains for all coastal districts in the Western Region as well as follow a similar, but accelerated approach to attaining similar or greater progress in the coastal districts of the Central, Accra and Volta regions. The Regional Coordinating Councils can follow the lead of the Western Region to develop specialized capability in their respective districts and carry out the collaborative, participatory issue and adaptive capacity diagnoses that became a hallmark of ICFG work in the Western Region. Utilizing the opportunities provided by updating Mid-Term Development Plans, and engaging in the creation of district spatial plans as prescribed by current law, will create important pathways for acknowledging and addressing coastal and fisheries issues in ways that are appropriate to the legal mandates of the regions and districts. Specifically, districts can play a much more significant role in protecting the nursery grounds of fisheries such as lagoons, estuaries and mangroves, as well as take the lead in focusing on the creation of far more resilient fish landing sites, as Shama and Ahanta West districts have already done in the Western Region.

5.3 Resilient livelihoods and poverty alleviation