Theunis Piersma & Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu

This study was undertaken with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), administered by the World Bank to the Ghana Government for the Ghana Coastal Wetlands Management Project, which is implemented by the Wildlife Department, Ghana.

 

INTRODUCTION

Ghana is on the boundary of two flyways of waterbirds, the East Atlantic Flyway and the Mediterranean Flyway (SMIT & PIERSMA 1989). The coastal wetlands of Ghana, therefore, receive significant numbers of waterbirds from a greater breeding range than most wetland sites in West Africa (Fig. 1). At least 15 species of waterbirds occur in internationally important populations (NTIAMOA-BAIDU 1991 , pets. obs.) Ghana's coastal wetlands are better charted for birds (NTIAMOA-BAlou & GRIEVE 1987, GRIMES 1987, NTIAMOA-BAIDU 1991A, &GORDON 1991, NTIAMOA-BAIDU A HOLLIS 1992, and see VAN GAALEN & VAN GELDEREN 1995), than those in the other countries along the Gulf of Guinea (ALTENBURG et al. 1983, ALTENBURG 1987, TYE & TYE 1987, ZWARTS 1988, SCHEPERS & MARTEIJN 1998, NICOLE et al. 1994). Their value as staging areas and wintering grounds for migratory waterbird species is also much better known (e.g., NTIAMOA-BAlDU 1993). The long series of monthly waterbird counts (running since 1986), which was established under the Save the seashore Birds project (SSBP-G) (NTIAMOA-BAIDU & HEPBURN 1988, 1991b) and is now continued by the Ghana Wildlife Society. is a unique data set tor Africa. Such long-term data are essential for better understanding of both the ecology of these coastal wetlands and their importance in the life cycles of the migrant waterbirds.

Download full text here.