Wetlands all over Africa are being unsustainably reclaimed due mostly to high rate of population growth, urbanization and rising poverty. Despite having numerous ecosystem services that are of great benefit to humanity, wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems due to destructive anthropogenic activities. However in order to sustainably use and manage wetlands in Africa, more data must be made available for policy formulation and decision-making. Africa lacks sufficient, basic and accurate data on population demographics that have affinity to wetland settlement. Research is needed to provide this scientific basis in Africa. This study investigates the demographic characteristics of the population with affinity to wetland settlements in Ghana to also contribute in filling in the gap identified by the National Environmental Action Plan of Ghana. The questionnaire survey approach was used with a sample size of 318 residents along two rivers in Kumasi. The demographic information that characterizes wetland settlers as revealed by this study include, low incomes, high rate of unemployment and poverty and low patronization of formal education. The high percentage of those with Senior High School certificates holders at the wetlands was also alarming. The settlers were mostly young and active. However, it was also found that data on the gender, ethnicity and religion of wetland settlers must be better determined at individual localities.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.