{"id":60131261,"date":"2026-05-05T17:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=news_digest&p=60131261"},"modified":"2026-05-05T17:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:04:07","slug":"60131261","status":"publish","type":"news_digest","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/60131261\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghana joins the marine protection club"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ghana has created its first marine protected area<\/a> (MPA). The zone is designed to safeguard marine life while allowing some fishing in the ocean off Cape Three Points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move has been hailed by politicians and experts as a huge step forward, although it will take much more legwork to reach international targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis moment will be remembered as the day Ghana took a bold and irreversible step to protect her oceans, restore her fisheries and secure the future of her coastal communities,\u201d said<\/a> the country\u2019s fisheries minister,\ufeff Emelia Arthur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arthur said the Greater Cape Three Points area has rich biodiversity and supports many local fishing communities. But like many marine systems, she added, it also faces pressure from overfishing and habitat degradation. Setting up a protected area controlling some of this damaging activity will help restore both the ocean and coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental groups have responded warmly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn simple terms, the declaration of Ghana\u2019s first MPA means giving fish the space to recover, reducing destructive activities and ensuring that fishing can continue in a more sustainable way,\u201d said<\/a> Stephen Kankam, deputy director of the Ghanaian NGO H\u025bn Mpoano <\/em>(Our Coast), which was heavily involved in this MPA\u2019s creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Trent, CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation, said<\/a>: \u201cThis MPA declaration is a defining moment for Ghana. Its fisheries are under severe pressure, and the coastal communities that depend on them cannot wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, governments across the world pledged to protect at least 30% of the world\u2019s lands and oceans by 2030 \u2013 the 30×30 goal. But progress has been woeful<\/a>. A 2024 analysis found African countries in particular to be struggling with ocean protection: only 5.3% of African ocean waters are inside protected areas, and even these are less likely to be effectively protected than MPAs elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre announced<\/a> the proportion of the global ocean under protection has risen to 10.01%. But the announcement was far from complacent: \u201cWhilst this represents considerable progress, an area approximately the size of the Indian Ocean still needs to be designated by 2030 if international ambitions for ocean protection are to be achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghana\u2019s first marine protected area covers around 700 sq km, or approximately 0.3%<\/a> of its total ocean area. The country is still a considerable distance from its own 30×30 target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not an end \u2013 it is a beginning,\u201d Arthur promised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ghana has created its first marine protected area (MPA). The zone is designed to safeguard marine life while allowing some fishing in the ocean off Cape Three Points. The move has been hailed by politicians and experts as a huge step forward, although it will take much more legwork to reach international targets. \u201cThis moment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60006658,"template":"","categories":[50039901],"tags":[523,40027778],"country":[50040738],"digest-collection":[50039911,50039912],"class_list":["post-60131261","news_digest","type-news_digest","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ocean","tag-conservation","tag-marine-protection","country-ghana"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGhana joins the marine protection club | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/60131261\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ghana joins the marine protection club\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ghana has created its first marine protected area (MPA). 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