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FOREST AND FISHERIES: DISCOVERING MISSING LINKS FOR ECOSYTEM MANAGEMENT

FOREST AND FISHERIES: DISCOVERING MISSING LINKS FOR ECOSYTEM MANAGEMENT. By Dr. Joseph N. Padi CSIR-Water Research Institute P.O. Box 38. Achimota , Ghana. Outline. Introduction Methodology Results Discussion Conclusion Recommendation. INTRODUCTION.

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FOREST AND FISHERIES: DISCOVERING MISSING LINKS FOR ECOSYTEM MANAGEMENT

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  1. FOREST AND FISHERIES: DISCOVERING MISSING LINKS FOR ECOSYTEM MANAGEMENT By Dr. Joseph N. Padi CSIR-Water Research Institute P.O. Box 38. Achimota, Ghana First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  2. Outline Introduction Methodology Results Discussion Conclusion Recommendation First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  3. INTRODUCTION • A century of forestry practice and 50 years of forestry research: - Need to reflect on the contribution of forestry to national development including fisheries, a water resource • Fisheries: Human activities associated with fishing and fish farming (aquaculture) • Contribution of forest to fisheries in Ghana - Historical and current First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  4. Fisheries productivity of Lake Volta attributed to drowned forests which provides food for the fishes Forest as an asset • Forests play critical roles in conserving water resources via improved precipitation, control of surface run-off, promotion of groundwater recharge, and prevention of pollution of water bodies thereby enhancing fisheries resources. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  5. Forest cannot exist without precipitation or other forms of water; trees are 60% water (Miller, 2004) • This complementary relationship between forest and water resources is yet to be exploited for efficient management of the two resources and fisheries development. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  6. This deficiency emanates in part from lack of understanding of the intricate connection between forest and water resources. • Contemporary natural resource management • Management is focused on ecosystem management which demands ecological thinking • Ecology: Study of the interactions among plants and animals with their particular habitat or environment First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  7. Ecosystem management integrates scientific knowledge of ecological relationships within a complex socio-political and values framework toward the general goal of protecting nature over the long-term (UNEP) • An ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plants, animals, microorganisms and their nonliving environment, of which people are an integral part. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  8. Biodiversity is high in the high forest zone which falls within the West African Biodiversity Hotspot (Myers et. al., 2000) • 24 global hotspots; identified by Conservation International which if conserved would capture more han half the worlds biodiversity (Mittermeier et al., 2004) • -Biodiversity =0.01%; 99.9% of biodiversity lost -Savings account for Ghana and world First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  9. Threats to forests and fisheries • Forests • Agriculture, population pressure, illegal logging, surface mining, climate change, etc. • Fisheries • Demographic pressure, “legal” logging of Lake Volta, surface mining, climate change, etc. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  10. Primary drivers of deforestation • Agriculture: permanent cultivation, cattle ranching, shifting cultivation, traditional slash and burn (50%) • Harvesting of fuel wood, charcoal, • Illegal logging, wild fires, biomass burning (35%) • Population and development pressure (10%) • Mining and mineral exploitation (5%) (MLNR, 2014:“Climate Investment Fund”) First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  11. Environmental problems: “can be compared to facing the barrel of the gun we do not know when the trigger will be pulled” (Anon, 2014) First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  12. Challenges: Forests and Fisheries Natural resource crisis Forests • Importation of wood by Ghana (Boadu, 2012) Water resources in forest Potable water: Use of “sachet water” to cook and bath in some forest communities (people) due surface mining [AtwimaMponua](Dapatem, 2014) Fisheries Inadequate fish production Fish supply deficit is 500,000 metric tons (500 million kg), annually First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  13. Objective • OBJECTIVE • (1)Identify critical linkages between forests, water resources including fisheries, and forest communities (people) towards development a practical framework for ecosystem management, and • (2) Assess potential of culture fisheries (aquaculture) for livelihood improvement in forest communities. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  14. Methodology • Literature was reviewed and synthesized to determine direct and indirect relationships between forest and water resources including fisheries, • Potential contribution of aquaculture to income generation was assessed with focus two (2) fish species: tilapia and mud catfish • This study was conducted from May to August 2014 First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  15. RESULTSDirect and indirect linkages between forest, water resources and people Consumptive Products1 Products3 1.Forest 2.Humans 3.Water resources services1 Ecological services3 First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  16. Direct linkages: Forest-Humans Forest products1 to humans • Fuel wood, lumber* • Medicine* • Oxygen* • Game and wildlife (Food): • Bush meat valued US$275 million (World Bank, 2005). • Non-timber products are also important especially for women and is estimated to cost GHS 35 million (World Bank, 2005) First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  17. Indirect linkages: Forest-Water Forest ecological to water resources (service1) 1.Erosion, siltation, flow control 2.Precipitation 3.Nutrient flow (cycling) to enhance 4.Groundwater recharge; fog and mist trapping 5.Food for fishes (fruits, insects, etc.) 6. Dead forest (e.g. Lake Volta) support fisheries First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  18. Water-human linkages Water to humans (products3) 1.Domestic 2.Agric. 3.Industries including energy (electricity) 4. Fisheries Water ecological to Forest (service 3) 1. Game and Wildlife (Mammals, birds, bees) drink water 2.Water table elevation for forest health First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  19. Important forest-animal linkages for forest conservation. Linkage dependent water resources.3BS First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  20. Birds, bats and bees First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  21. Forest-animal linkage: uniqueness • Because of dense vegetation little wind blows in tropical rain forests eliminating the possibility the possibility of wind pollination. • Many forest plants have evolved elaborate flowers that attract particular insects, birds or bats as pollinators (Miller, 2004); keystone species Forest –fisheries linkage • Low fish harvest in natural water bodies promotes burning of vegetation for bush meet; forest affected First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  22. Assessment of culture fisheries (aquaculture) to forest communities • Construction of dams and ponds via rainfall- harvesting and use of natural water bodies • Reservoir and ponds will benefit groundwater by raising water table. • Water can be used for dry weather irrigation • Vegetable cultivation and integration of aquaculture with livestock • Animals that pollinate forest trees benefit form artificial water sources used for aquaculture. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  23. Benefits of aquaculture • Pond aquaculture doubled income of households, increased consumption of fresh fish [and] increased production of maize through the production of [a] second, off-season crop in Malawi (Biello, 2007) • Rain-fed ponds enabled farmers to become 20% more productive than their peers during times of drought First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  24. Tilapia First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  25. Bonytongue First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  26. Mud catfish (Adwen) First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  27. Pond farming First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  28. Tilapia cage farming First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  29. Fish hatchery First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  30. Integrated Agric.(fish-poultry, fish-vegetables First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  31. Feeding mud catfish with palm fruits, a forest product First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  32. Fisheries (aquaculture)-forestry First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  33. The poor turn to the only means of survival available to them: they plow mountain slopes, burn plots in tropical forest and overgraze grass land First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  34. DISCUSSION • The present study has identified and clarified linkages including missing linkages between forest and water resources which can be exploited towards ecosystem management. • Forest management(mgt.) in Ghana is not integrated with fisheries mgt., and by extension water resources mgt. in spite of “obvious” or latent links that exist between these three types of natural resources to derive synergies – Missing link in policy First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  35. Discussion • This missing link is not surprising when viewed from the policy angle. For example, MOFA recently published tree crops policy (RoG,2011c) dealing with cocoa, oil palm , cashew, coconut citrus, rubber and other tree crops. The tree crops subsector involving arround 1.6 million farming families is considered by MOFA as key to overall economic growth and development of Ghana. • However, the policy seems to have been developed without much contact to the forestry sector though it faces many similar challenges and there are important linkages such as Cocoa (Ghana Investment Plan, MLNR, 2012) • We are managing resources as separate units –Not Ecosystem mgt. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  36. Discussion • People are at the centre of forest and water resources management. • Given that human activities contribute particularly agriculture contributes (> 30%) land degradation which negatively impact forests • Need exist to diversify agriculture using fisheries (aquaculture)to increase income of farmers … • Cocoa yield is low (330 kg/ha ) in Ghana compared to 580 kg/ha in CÔte d’ Ivoire and 770 kg/ha in Indonesia (MLNR, 2012) First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  37. Discussion Potential aquaculture contribution: • Minimum tilapia and mud catfish yield under pond conditions is estimated at yield per production cycle (7 months) are 9,000kg and 32,000kg -Cash value = GHS 77,000 (Tilapia) GHS 272,000 (mud catfish) • Open cultivation of cocoa represent loss of 50% carbon stocks - Global warming • Presently in Ghana shaded cocoa farming accounts for less than 30% of cocoa farmed First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  38. Discussion Aquaculture as tool for livelihood improvement • Income generation • Intra-rural trade • Employment (7 jobs created for every fish production enterprise) • Nutrition standards • Poverty alleviation • Gender balance; children • Water access (Closer to forest, rain-fed and surface water diversion ponds); First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  39. Discussion • Agriculture diversification • The poor turn to the only means of survival available to them: burn plots in tropical forest and overgraze grass land, illegal surface mining (galamsey) for livelihood First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  40. Discussion Effects of climate change on agric. • Projected mean annual rainfall in semi-decidous and evergreen is estimated to decline by -2.8, -10.9 and -20.0% in 2020, 2050, 2080 (Anim-kwapong and Frimpong, undated, web access: Aug. 2014) - Solution bring water close to forest through aquaculture. • Tropical rain forest cover only about 2% of the earths land surface, yet they are habitats for 50 -80% of earths terrestrial spp. And contribute 100% to human survival First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  41. CONCLUSIONS • Study has demonstrated that (1) theoretical and (2) practical frameworks exist for integrating fisheries into forestry for ecosystem management via the forest – water nexus using aquaculture as a tool. • Shed light for ecological understanding of ecosystems -“Where water and land meet potential of fisheries exist..” (Nielson, 1999) -Extension of quote: Where water and forest meet potential of fisheries exist which can be exploited to the benefit of forest communities. Aquaculture can make this possible First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  42. When people have successfully organized to preserve forest they have typically done so because the values of the intact forest to their society or user groups are perceived to exceed the value of forest destruction by individuals • A change in perception of societal value may stem (a) from ecological understanding (e.g. Tukano Indians in the Amazon protect riparian forest because they understand that fish feed on fruits from trees (b) from financial incentives created externally (e.g. tourism), (c ) from experience with costly ecological disaster due to deforestation or from critical mass of people acting upon existence value for forests (Becker, 1999) First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  43. There is no substitute to forest • Ecological thinking needed by citizenry First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  44. RECOMMENDATIONS • Integrated into forests management using fish farming (aquaculture) as a tool aquaculture to foster a blue-green revolution in ecosystem management -NEW: Aquaforestry/Agrifisheries/agriaquaforestry (AAF) • Support applied research into aquaforestry and agrifisherIes (incl. subsistence and cash crops) - maize cassava, millet..; Cocoa, oil palm, cashew, coffee.. - Climate change challenges First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  45. RECOMMENDATIONS • Harmonize policies: - MLNR, MEST, MoFEP, MoFA Involve: Traditional authorities, forest communities, development practitioners, planners, economist, industrialist, legislators and sociologist, politicians, etc. First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  46. Recommendations (contd.) • Promote ecological thinking- you do not have to be a scientist or literate to think ecologically -Education, advocacy, … “Nothing is real until its is local”-(Covington, 2000) First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

  47. THANK YOU First National Forestry Conference, 16-18 Sept., 2014, CSIR-FORIG, Kumasi, Ghana

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