Wetlands around the world are under severe pressure from human activities and climate change, with their true richness fading from living memory. This analysis highlights how many younger people in West Africa only see a shadow of the biodiversity that previous generations recall. Without urgent action across the region, livelihoods connected to these precious areas could soon become non-existent.
Wetlands are among the world’s most productive and valuable ecosystems, supporting rich biodiversity and providing critical natural goods and services. They are vital to rural economies and underpin food security by supporting fisheries, agriculture, water supply, and tourism.
However, these precious ecosystems are changing rapidly due to human activities and climate change. Since 1900, approximately half of the world’s wetlands have been lost. The rate of decline has also increased, accelerating almost fourfold over the past century.
Accurately measuring this crisis is a challenge. In many parts of the world, particularly in the West African region, there is little to no historical data on wetlands. This is further compounded by the phenomenon known as “shifting baselines,” where each generation perceives the current, often degraded, state of the environment as the “baseline.” As a result, the true extent of the loss is masked, and present generations fail to recognize the decline in wetland habitat quality, species loss, and the degradation of ecosystem services.
Wetlands in West Africa
In Ghana, habitat and biodiversity changes have been reported in many wetlands. In the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site, the country’s largest wetland, a land use/ land cover assessment shows that dense vegetation and marshland declined from 151.4 km2 in 1991 to a mere 2.4 km2 in 2007. A 2024 report corroborated these changes, highlighting the disappearance of many fish species and other wildlife, as well as a decrease in fish sizes in recent years.
Regardless of this evidence, many younger local people consider the current state of the lagoon as ‘normal’ or even ‘pristine’. This is despite the fact that many native species of fish, birds, and other wildlife can no longer be found at the site.
The issue is not unique to the Keta Lagoon. Numerous wetlands in Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, and elsewhere in West Africa—including São Tomé and the Príncipe islands— have experienced baseline shifts, as have wetlands further afield in countries like Brazil and Mexico.
Turning back to Ghana, the Korle and Chemu lagoons provide further examples of wetland decline. A study published back in 1982 reported these two wetlands as being heavily polluted by industrial and domestic wastes from their catchment areas. This implies that the generation of local people born after 1982 never saw the two wetlands in a healthy state.
Other historical evidence includes the case of the Sakumo Lagoon. A 1975 study described the lagoon as vastly different from a 2019 account—an example of shifting baselines. Without the earlier documentation, it would be difficult to know that the lagoon once supported a vibrant fishery five decades ago. Today, the ecosystem is almost non-existent.
The disconnect between public perception and ecological reality poses a challenge for wetland restoration. As inferred from the various research, when baseline shifts are not recognized, the extent of environmental degradation is often underestimated. This misperception can reduce the urgency for implementing restoration or conservation measures, potentially hindering effective policy responses and local engagement.
Potential impacts on coastal livelihoods
Wetlands across West Africa have suffered significant declines in coverage due to land reclamation. For example, the Sakumo Lagoon in Ghana has experienced encroachment by estate developers for housing and industrial purposes, taking over about 80% of the area despite its status as a Ramsar site, protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
It is not just the construction sector contributing to wetland degradation. Heavy industrial pollution and the disposal of municipal waste into wetland ecosystems have degraded habitats and reduced water quality. This poses multiple threats. Wetlands attract tourists for birdwatching, fishing, and cultural experiences, but ecosystem degradation leads to the loss of feeding grounds for migratory birds as well as the breeding and nursery grounds for fish. Declining fish populations threaten food security for dependent communities and undermine the potential for tourism-based income.
Studies have shown that about two-thirds of the fish consumed by humans depend on wetlands at some stage in their lifecycle. However, overfishing and unsustainable harvesting of wetland plants have further diminished biodiversity and fish populations. Such practices have contributed to the loss of fish biomass in West African coastal fisheries since the 1970s, leading to smaller catches and increased threats to food security. Research shows that total coastal fish catch dropped by about 40% in Côte d’Ivoire between 2003-2020, and almost 60% in Ghana between 1993-2019.
Climate change has also altered flood regimes critical to wetland productivity. Coastal ecosystems are increasingly affected by sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion, and erosion, as observed along the eastern coast of Ghana, where the Keta Ramsar Site is located. This stretch of coastline is receding by 2.2 meters per year, resulting in widespread loss of wetland vegetation. Products such as reeds, mangroves, and medicinal plants, often harvested for income as well as cultural practices, are disappearing due to climate change.
This kind of habitat loss disproportionately affects women, who often lead activities such as harvesting reeds and other vegetation for weaving mats and baskets, and collecting shellfish from mangrove areas.
What should policymakers do?
Non-governmental agencies, civil societies, and academic researchers have championed educational campaigns, research, and mangrove reforestation efforts in local communities to curb ongoing wetland degradation across West Africa. These activities involve different generations of people to increase public awareness and local engagement.
Most West African countries are Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which obligates them to “formulate and implement their planning so as to promote… as far as possible, the wise use of wetlands in their territory”. As signatories of the Ramsar Convention, they commit to the protection of wetlands through national action and international cooperation. However, limited accountability and weak monitoring mechanisms have led to the degradation of several Ramsar sites, including the Keta Lagoon. In addition to the Ramsar framework, national and regional policies such as the ECOWAS Environmental Action Plan and the West Africa Water Resources Policy include provisions for safeguarding wetlands from overexploitation. Despite their potential, challenges in implementation and enforcement remain widespread.
To support more effective wetland management, policymakers in West Africa should strengthen legal frameworks, enhance the use of both scientific and traditional knowledge of ecology and support community-led conservation and habitat restoration initiatives. This would contribute to sustainable livelihoods while preserving the biodiversity of West Africa.