Provisioning Ecosystem Services in Rural Savanna Landscapes of Northern Ghana: An Assessment of Supply, Utilization, and Drivers of Change

Abstract

As a fundamental element of human lives, ecosystems and the services they provide across all socioecological regions are now under threat from human and natural activities. An assessment of the different categories of ecosystem services at various levels has become necessary for sustainable use and conservation. This study seeks to identify and characterize provisioning ecosystem services affecting rural households in the Tolon and Wa West Districts of northern Ghana. It examines the key dynamics of these services and discusses the major factors influencing their supply and utilization. The study employs rapid rural appraisal methods, including key informant interviews, household questionnaires surveys, focus group discussions, and participatory observations for collecting primary data. Findings indicate an extensive use of all provisioning services examined: bushmeat, crop and animal production, fish catches, fodder and forage, fuelwood, building materials, fresh water, and wild plants by households at all study sites. Averagely, 80% of households across the study sites collect and utilize these variety of services to support livelihood strategies. Our study also identified major challenges for sustainable supply and use of these ecosystem services, including the growing scarcity and decline in these services attributed to closely connected drivers such as cyclical drought, climate variation, land conversion, overharvesting, and a decline in traditional ecological knowledge. This study thus demonstrates the need for an integrated assessment that examines, at the local level, the interactions of various ecosystem services and human well-being to provide a scientific basis for formulation of effective coping and adaptation strategies in the midst of these challenges.

The role of traditional ecological knowledge in ecosystem services management: the case of four rural communities in Northern Ghana

“…Their characterization is largely defined by their peculiar semi-arid climatic and physical conditions, high poverty levels ranging from 68% to 88% across regions attributed to many years of social, political, and economic exclusion (Whitehead 2006;Songsore 2011; World Bank 2011), and extreme vulnerability to climate change compared with the other parts of Ghana (Dietz et al 2004;Acheampong et al 2014). The majority of the population here is rural (Northern: 69.7%, Upper West: 79.5%, and Upper East: 76.4%) meaning that there is high reliance on the local ecosystem to meet livelihood needs (Boafo et al 2014). Rain-fed agriculture, which is a blend of crop farming and livestock raising, is undertaken by the majority of the population in this area (approximately 78%) (Ghana Statistical Service 2013).…”

“…Baleufili and Bankpama, on the other hand, are located on a fairly uneven elevation and undulating landscape. Both communities are impacted significantly by the Black Volta River, which, along with its tributaries, drains through the area and leaves communities' resources, especially farmlands, flooded during the short rainy season (Boafo et al 2014).…”

Education for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): Linking Theory with Practice in Ghana’s Basic Schools

“…Temperature averages are around 25 °C to 36 °C, with an average annual rainfall range of 900-1000 mm. [29][30][31]. Ecosystems that used to regulate and support the environment and people in times of extreme weather conditions have been exploited.…”

Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) Butter Production and Resource Use by Urban and Rural Processors in Northern Ghana

“…At present, village residents cover increasing distances to access fuel wood, some have resorted to cutting the shea tree and similarly preserved tree species for fuel [24]. Consequently, general accessibility to ecosystem-based services including provisioning service such as fuel wood fort households in northern Ghana has become difficult with increasing degradation of the environment [25]. It has become imperative to examine the propositions that scientists advance for the sustainability of forest natural resource use.…”