The Sakumo Ramsar Site consists of a coastal brackish-saline lagoon and surrounding floodplains, freshwater marshes, coastal savannah grasslands with thicket vegetation, and a narrow dune linking them to the sea. The Site is the third most important waterbird site on the Ghanaian coast and provides nesting and breeding habitat for several bird species; it supports over 70 species with an estimated 30,000 individuals regularly relying on its resources during their migration and breeding. Notable birds include the spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus) and common greenshank (Tringa nebularia), little stint (Calidris minuta) and black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus). The Site is also home to important marine and freshwater fish species, including the blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron), which makes up about 97% of the fish population. Hundreds of local communities depend on fishing for their livelihoods. The Site also provides flood control, storm regulation, water purification and salinity regulation. As an urban wetland, it is threatened by population growth, urbanization, pollution and developments such as agriculture and recreation.
The State of the Sakumo Ramsar Site
