The Muni-Pomadze Ramsar site

The Coastal Wetlands Management Project (CWMP), funded by the Global Enviro nment Facility and implemented by the Ghana Wildlife Department, seeks to p reserve the ecological integrity of coastal lagoons that serve as important sites for migratory waterbirds. This report describes the geomorphology, h ydrology, soils, water chemistry, and vegetation of the Muni-Pomadze Ramsar site. Muni lagoon is a saline, shallow water lagoon separated from the sea by a sand bar which may be breached occasionally. The bulk of the rainfall in the catchment evaporates or flows as surface runoff into three streams that empty into Muni lagoon. Open water in the lagoon varies seasonally fro m 100 ha in the dry season to over 1000 ha in the wet season. The natural f lora of the site can be divided into four main types; flood plain (includin g mangrove and wetland vegetation), dune vegetation, riverine vegetation, a nd terrestrial vegetation on elevated ground. The latter consists of a comb ination of grasslands, thickets, and Eucalyptus plantations. Fifty-three pe rcent of the site is classified as natural vegetation. An additional 32.5% is agricultural land and 12.6% is residential area for the 11 communities w ithin the site. The main source of employment are farming or fishing. The a rea surrounding Muni lagoon is used extensively for bushmeat hunting and as the tribal hunting grounds of the Efutu people. Apart from the global impo rtance of the Muni-Pomadze site for biodiversity, management of the site is further justified by its considerable potential for development as an inco me-generating and educational nature reserve with an eco-cultural theme, ma naged by the local communities in partnership with the governmental and non -governmental conservation agencies.