Sesuvium portulacastrum'' with various associated grass species. Land-use in the catchment includes rice, cassava, and vegetable cultivation.
Fauna
Fish
The lagoon has surface area, and is defined as semi-closed because of its permanent, but limited interaction with the sea.
Sixteen fish species or genera have been found in the lagoon, and may be grouped in four main categories as follows:
* Fresh water fish occurring only during the rainy season (e.g. ''
Clarias gariepinus'')
* Permanent inhabitants of the lagoon (e.g. ''
Sarotherodon melanotheron
The blackchin tilapia (''Sarotherodon melanotheron'') is a species of cichlid native to coastal west Africa. It is a paternal mouthbrooder which has been introduced to Asia and North America.
In the Philippines, it is also informally called ''g ...
'')
* Juvenile stages of marine fish swimming into the lagoon after the rainy season (e.g. ''
Mugil cephalus
The flathead grey mullet (''Mugil cephalus'') is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically . It is known with numerous English names, ...
'')
* Marine fish coming for short incursions into the lagoon (e.g. ''
Lutjanus fulgens
The golden African snapper (''Lutjanus fulgens'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Taxonomy
The golden African snapper was first formally describ ...
'')
The lagoon is heavily over-fished, resulting in a reduced catch over the years.
Avifauna
Past records have registered over seventy waterbird species at the site, with about 30,000 birds. The common species are ''
Charadrius hiaticula
The common ringed plover or ringed plover (''Charadrius hiaticula'') is a small plover that breeds in Arctic Eurasia. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from ...
'', ''
Chlidonias niger
The black tern (''Chlidonias niger'') is a small tern generally found in or near inland water in Europe, Western Asia and North America. As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. In some lights it can appear blue in the breeding s ...
,'' ''
Egretta garzetta'', ''
E. gularis'', ''
Sterna hirundo
The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory ...
,
S. sandvicensi'' and ''
Tringa erythropus
The spotted redshank (''Tringa erythropus'') is a wader (shorebird) in the large bird family Scolopacidae. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek ''trungas'', ...
''. Some breeding waterbirds include ''
Glareola pratincola'', ''
Charadrius pecuarius'' and ''
S. albifrons''. The
Black heron
The black heron (''Egretta ardesiaca''), also known as the black egret, is an African heron. It is well known for its habit of using its wings to form a canopy when fishing.
Description
The black heron is a medium-sized (42.5–66 cm ...
(''
E. ardesiaca'') is considered sacred and protected by local taboos.
Marine Turtle
Species of marine turtle that have previously been recorded nesting on the beach are ''
Lepidochelys olivacea,'' ''
Chelonia mydas'' and ''
Dermochelys coriacea.''
Conservation Issues
The area which was designated in 1992, currently has portions taken over by land developers (urban and industrial). The surrounding area has one of the highest urban growth-rates within the coastal zone. Sewage and domestic waste from the catchment also threatens the lagoon. The spread of urbanization continues, and if not stopped the entire catchment will be destroyed. The area has high recreational and educational or research value as one of the green areas left in the Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area. The lagoon is regarded as a fetish by the indigenous people of Tema, New Town.
During the dry season (August to March), the larger part of the lagoon dries up. The area is encroached upon by cattle grazing in the dry season, and by land developers who build very close to the site -- which is a government property and should not be used by any developer. There is a Biodiversity Conservation and Local Community Development Project to rehabilitate degraded areas and conserve the biodiversity within the Sakumo Ramsar Site.
Rehabilitation of site
The Wildlife Division of the
Forestry Commission is the government agency responsible for the area. The
Environmental Protection Agency-Ghana and the
United Nation Environment Programme initiated an afforestation project of planting trees in the wetland area, using treated waste water as a way of reforesting and conserving the degraded areas. Others are Sakumo Ramsar Conservation and Resource Users Association and the Friends of Ramsar Sites. The surrounding communities such as Klagon,
Sakumono and
Nungua are protecting the site.
[Environmental Protection Agency (2014). Biodiversity Conservation and Local Community Development through Tree Planting. 1st Quarter Report 2014]
References
{{coord, 5.643, -0.033, type:landmark_region:GH_dim:5000, display=title
Ramsar sites in Ghana
Lagoons of Ghana