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The coastal wetland zones of Lake Wamala are experiencing a noticeable shoreline retreat leading to loss of its resources and ecological services. This henceforth, calls for sustainable wetland resource management by clearly dissecting and understanding the prime cause of such losses. The study employed community-based participatory approach to capture stakeholder perceptions and knowledge on wetland resources in six villages namely; Mityana Town, Naama, Nkonya, Buzibazi, Mpongo and Lusalira. The study sought to find out the causes of wetlands degradation, impacts and mitigation strategies, needed to avert loss of such resources. Temperature data from Mubende Meteorological Station were compared using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and the average change in temperature was determined using SAS JMP 10 Software. Variability in rainfall was determined using the coefficient of variation (CV) calculated as a ratio to the mean and expressed as a percentage. Findings attributed climate induced factors as key bottlenecks to wetland resource loss. Findings further highlight increase in human population among other human-induced factors as cause of destruction and alteration of resources in the area. Results prove the derailing nature of wetland resources around Lake Wamala significantly affected livelihoods. In order to avert this trend, prudent measures such as formulation of feasible policy framework to govern and regulate activities in the area, co-management through local community and government partnership, capacity-building programs among relevant stakeholders to enhance awareness about wetlands and its ecological benefits in our quest to improve human welfare in the face of the changing climate.

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Addressing undesirable changes associated with the driving forces of land use cover change are critical to sustainable land management, and the future modeling of land use systems in developing countries. The study accentuates local drivers of land use cover change in Southwestern Ghana using a mixed-method approach. The approach aided in identifying key land-use drivers, using different research strategies for comparisons through confidence level analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process. We used expert interviews, existing literature and geostatistical tools to ascertain the driving forces triggering such unprecedented changes. Landsat imagery 5 MSS, 4 and 5 TM, 7 ETM + and 8 OLI/TIRS were acquired from the United States Geological Survey’s website. Land-use analysis revealed a decline in forests (− 82.41%) and areas covered by waterbodies (− 27.39%). A fundamental drift in built-up (+ 1288.36%) and farmlands/shrubs (+ 369.81%) areas were also observed. The contribution rate of change analysis revealed built-environment and increasing population contributed the most to surface temperature and land-use change. A steady increase in surface temperature can be attributed to the undesirable changes associated with land-use systems over the past 50 years. Socio-economic development in Southwestern Ghana is fuelling interest in studies related to land use cover change. Biophysical, cultural and technological factors are considered key drivers despite the “medium-to-very low confidence” in results generated. They could potentially impact climate-sensitive sectors that significantly modify land-use systems from the pessimists’ and optimists’ perspectives. Standpoints established through this study will enrich basic datasets for further studies at the continental level. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12665-022-10481-y.

Over the years, the issue of waste generation and management have been a major issue of concern, stemming a number of countries around the world, thus, developing countries. The ultimate aim of this study was to investigate into the effects of indiscriminate disposal of waste in and around the Keta Lagoon in the Volta region of Ghana. The study highlighted quite a number of respondents, who had lived in the area for quite a lengthy period and had observed the changes with regards to rapid deteriorating conditions of sanitation in the area as well as the aesthetic nature of the lagoon per the value it served decades ago and now. It is for these reasons why the study sought to look at what had contributed to the diminishing state of the Keta Lagoon, which is a designated Ramsar site (Ramsar Convention, 1971), hence, its importance to Ghana as a nation. The absence of waste management services, ignorance and lack of law enforcement units were identified as key factors, playing a fundamental role to indiscriminate dumping of refuse in and around the Keta Lagoon. Based on key findings, recommendations on sensitising or educating the inhabitants as well as the general public on sanitation in basic schools would create some level of awareness. Strengthening and equipping the Municipal Assembly in the area by the government would help ensure frequent monitoring and regulate waste management in the area.

Shrimp farming is a key component of Vietnamese aquaculture contributing ~5% to their gross domestic product annually. Environmental hazards and socio‐economic parameters among other factors influence shrimp productivity in Vietnam. The present study employed the stochastic frontier production approach to investigate how technical efficiency (TE) of semi‐intensive and intensive shrimp farms is influenced by socio‐economic factors and environmental hazards. A questionnaire was administered to ascertain farmers' cost of major inputs (labour, seed, feed and lime), socio‐economic factors, coupled with environmental hazards (flood, pollution and drought experience). Findings revealed a mean TE of approximately 65% and 76% for semi‐intensive and intensive farms respectively (though, non‐significant as p ≥ 0.05). The input variables, shrimp seeds, feed and lime were found to be important variables in the intensive systems, as they positively correlated with TE in intensive systems. In the inefficiency model, education positively correlated with the TE in both systems, indicating that educated farmers are more efficient. Pollution negatively correlated with TE in both systems. With <80% of the farmers extremely affected by floods and droughts, and about 95% affected by pollution, the present study concludes there is a thorough impact of the above environmental hazards on farmers' technical efficiency.

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