REPORT FOR YEMAYA UESD WEBINAR
The YEMAYA webinar was held on the 13th of May 2026, by the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Somanya in collaboration with University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) and A Rocha Ghana. The theme of the webinar was “Restoring Ecosystems, Reviving Livelihoods: Opportunities and Challenges” A brief welcome address was given by Prof. Edward Wiafe Debrah, the Pro Vice Chancellor of (UESD), He mentioned the various topics were timely and important and encouraged members to participate actively in the webinar to make it interactive and successful. The webinar brought together insights from presentations focused on long-term environmental changes in the Pra Estuary in Ghana and other coastal areas surrounding it and ecosystem restoration which highlighted both the extent of degradation and how practical solutions can be applied for sustainable recovery or restoration. Below are the subthemes and the summaries from each presentation.
The webinar highlighted initiatives led by A Rocha Ghana in restoring ecosystems which are ongoing in a presentation titled “Community Contributions to Restoring Ecosystems and Reviving Livelihoods: Adapting Challenges into Opportunities”, this presentation demonstrated how communities can be developed while recovering ecosystems. It also underscored how sustainable livelihood opportunities can be created for local communities in the cause of restoring the ecosystem while addressing environmental degradation. A Rocha adapts strategies like phytoremediation where plants are used to remove heavy metals from soils and the application of biochar to improve the fertility of the soil by balancing pH, increasing nutrients retention, and aeration, agroforestry, reforestation through community nurseries, degraded mining sites restoration and fire management. Key emphasis of their work was laid on how conservation was linked to economic benefits in the form of value chains through initiatives such as organic shea production, bee keeping and carbon credit programmes serving as source of income for women and small holder farmers while sustainable land management is encouraged.
The second presentation touched on “Mangrove and Coastal Wetland Restoration for Fisheries and Climate Resilience” delivered by Dr. Joe Acquah (UESD). Mangroves and coastal wetlands are essential for fisheries, coastal protection, carbon storage, and livelihoods, but Ghana has lost over 60% of its mangrove cover due to human activities and climate change. This has increased fishery decline, livelihood losses, and climate vulnerability. Restoring these ecosystems through community-led initiatives, strong partnerships, and sustainable investment can improve fisheries, enhance climate resilience, and protect coastal communities, with the benefits of action far outweighing the economic and environmental costs of inaction.
Finally, Prof. Cynthia Boye (UMaT), shared insights from her research on the topic “Coastal ecosystems dynamics along the PRA estuary of Ghana”. The presentation highlighted how anthropogenic activities and climate-related factors have significantly impacted land-use resulting in significant ecological changes over the past decades within the period of 1990 to 2024. This has also led to substantial decline in natural vegetation, while settlements and agricultural lands have expanded rapidly. This indicates increasing pressure on the ecosystem from population growth, urbanization, and land-use conversion and illegal mining. These changes result in shoreline instability, flooding, biodiversity loss which puts vulnerable coastal communities at risk from sea-level rise and environmental degradation.
In conclusion, the key message echoed throughout the webinar is to combine scientific research, community participation and livelihood development to improve ecosystem health and community resilience to achieve sustainable restoration.