An updated plan to conserve and regenerate species and habitats that have earned the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site (KLCRS), its different statuses and develop the capability of stakeholders to sustainably manage and derive livelihood from these resources had been launched.
In his welcome address, the District Chief Executive for the Anloga District, Hon. Seth Kwashie Yormewu, indicated that the revised management plan would be useful to guide the management of the Keta Lagoon Ramsar Site and that it is our collective responsibility to support the implementation of the revised management plan to help protect the resources within the Ramsar Site. The DCE concluded his address by offering appreciation to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for funding the process, and also the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission and all other stakeholders for their various roles in the review process.
In his remarks, the Chairman for the occasion, Torgbui Hatsu III, tasked the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, together with other relevant stakeholders such as the Information Service Department and the National Commission for Civic Education to conduct vigorous public sensitization to educate the general public on the Revised Management Plan for the management of the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site.
Mr. Lawrence Tettey Ocloo, the Site Manager, opined that the old management plan of the site which was developed in 1999 had outlived its purpose due to emerging anthropogenic challenges and issues related to climatic changes and therefore the reason for the review to scale up the management measures of the Ramsar Site to meet current trends of issues affecting habitat and species dynamics of the site.
Mr. Anthony Mba, the Project Coordinator for IUNC Ghana Office, said the review of the management plan of the KLCRS is one of the activities of its four-year project (2019- 2022) titled Management of Mangroves Forest from Senegal to Benin funded by the European Union in collaboration with the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
Other stakeholders at the official launching which was held on Friday, 23rd June, 2023 at the office premises of the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site (Anloga) includes the Executive Director, Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, representatives from South Tongu, Keta, Ketu South, Ketu North and Akatsi South Districts Assemblies, representative of Non-Governmental Organizations, Heads of various institutions, Community members among others.