A feature by Lawrencia Ziwu
Accra, Aug 1, GNA – Rivers that once flowed freely now carry mud and pollutants.
Forests that protected farmlands have given way to bare landscapes, while erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and devastating floods have become increasingly common across Ghana.
These environmental changes are not only threatening biodiversity but also undermining food production, water security, public health and livelihoods.
The combined effects of climate change and human activities continue to place immense pressure on the country’s natural ecosystems.
Illegal mining, indiscriminate sand winning, deforestation, bush burning, rapid urbanisation and unsustainable farming practices are accelerating land degradation, leaving many communities more vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
Against this backdrop, environmental experts are increasingly promoting Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as one of the most practical and cost-effective approaches to restoring degraded ecosystems while strengthening Ghana’s resilience to climate change.
Rather than relying solely on engineered infrastructure, Nature-based Solutions harness the power of healthy ecosystems to address environmental challenges.
They include restoring forests, wetlands and riverbanks, promoting sustainable agriculture, conserving water resources and protecting biodiversity.
According to the Water Resources Commission (WRC), the Nature for Water Facility and The Nature Conservancy, Nature-based Solutions improve water security, restore degraded landscapes and support livelihoods.
They also help communities adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.
Their findings, contained in the Black Volta Watershed Investment Programme (2025), identify ecosystem restoration as one of the country’s most effective long-term investments.
The approach also aligns with Ghana’s climate commitments. The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) identifies ecosystem restoration as a key pillar of the country’s Updated Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, recognising that safeguarding nature is essential to sustainable national development.
Nature as the first line of defence
The consequences of environmental degradation are becoming increasingly visible across the Upper West, Upper East, North East, Bono, Bono East and Savannah Regions, particularly within the Black and White Volta Basins.
Areas once covered with healthy vegetation are now characterised by bare soils, expanding gullies, degraded riverbanks and shrinking forest cover.
Agricultural expansion, charcoal production, annual bushfires, overgrazing, unsustainable farming and uncontrolled sand winning have stripped away natural vegetation, exposing soils to erosion and reducing the land’s capacity to retain moisture.
The White Volta Basin has been particularly affected. Districts including Bolgatanga, Talensi, Bawku, Bawku West, Garu, Savelugu, Kumbungu, Tolon, Buipe and Binduri have experienced widespread destruction of riparian vegetation as sand mining and agricultural expansion continue to encroach on riverbanks.
The WRC’s Business Case Summary Report (2025) for the White Volta Basin states that heavy sediment from degraded catchments causes the Dalun Water Treatment Plant of the Ghana Water Limited to lose between 20 and 30 per cent of treated water – far above the global average of two to three per cent.
The situation increases operational costs while reducing the volume of potable water available to households and businesses.
The pattern is similar across the Black Volta Basin, where prolonged cultivation without adequate soil conservation, coupled with annual bushfires and indiscriminate logging, continues to accelerate land degradation.
During the rainy season, fertile topsoil is washed into rivers, while the exposed land becomes increasingly susceptible to wind erosion during the dry months.
The result is declining agricultural productivity, shorter growing seasons and increasing pressure on farming communities that depend on the land for their livelihoods.
Although illegal mining has largely been associated with southern Ghana, environmental experts warn that growing mining activities in northern Ghana and upstream sections of the Volta River Basin require urgent attention.
They caution that early intervention is essential to prevent a repeat of the extensive degradation witnessed in the Pra, Ankobra, Densu, Offin and Birim river systems, where mining activities have severely affected water quality and ecosystem health.
The implications extend well beyond northern Ghana
The Black and White Volta rivers feed the Volta Lake, which supports hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, fisheries, transportation and domestic water supply across much of the country.
As sediment and pollutants accumulate in these water bodies, water treatment becomes more expensive, reservoir capacity declines and aquatic ecosystems suffer, creating environmental and economic consequences for downstream communities.
To reverse the trend, the Water Resources Commission is implementing the Black Volta Basin Watershed Investment Programme, which promotes a range of Nature-based Solutions designed to restore degraded landscapes while protecting water resources.
These interventions include restoring vegetative buffer zones along riverbanks, constructing soil bunds, check dams and water retention ponds.
Others are encouraging Agricultural Best Management Practices such as contour farming, cover cropping and conservation tillage.
The programme also prioritises surface and groundwater monitoring, the establishment of local water governance structures and the adoption of Integrated Water Resources Planning to ensure sustainable management of the basin’s natural resources.
Collectively, these measures help reduce soil erosion, improve groundwater recharge and minimise the amount of sediment entering rivers, thereby improving both water quality and ecosystem health.
Nature-based Solutions are equally relevant beyond northern Ghana.
Along Ghana’s 550-kilometre coastline, restoring mangrove forests and wetlands strengthens natural protection against coastal erosion, rising sea levels and storm surges, while creating healthier habitats for fisheries and other wildlife.
Urban centres are also beginning to embrace nature as part of climate adaptation.
Cities such as Accra, Kumasi and Sekondi-Takoradi are increasingly incorporating wetlands, green spaces and permeable pavements into urban planning to reduce flooding and improve resilience.
Research by Niño and Guzzetti (2025) for the International Institute for Sustainable Development indicates that integrating natural ecosystems with conventional engineering infrastructure not only strengthens urban resilience but also delivers significant long-term economic returns.
Investing in nature is investing in Ghana’s future
Evidence continues to demonstrate that investing in Nature-based Solutions is not merely an environmental imperative but also a sound economic decision.
The Water Resources Commission’s Black Volta Watershed Investment Programme (2025) estimates that every US$1 invested in Nature-based Solutions could generate up to US$5 in economic benefits through improved ecosystem services, increased agricultural productivity and reduced environmental degradation.
Similarly, studies by the International Institute for Sustainable Development indicate that hybrid green infrastructure can generate returns of up to 13.5 times the initial investment.
The economic gains extend beyond financial returns
According to the Business Case reports for the White and Black Volta Basin Watershed Investment Programmes, restoring degraded watersheds could reduce sediment loads at major water abstraction points by as much as 89 per cent, resulting in annual savings of about US$605,759 in water treatment and operational costs across the two basins.
Ecosystem restoration also presents opportunities for sustainable livelihood creation.
Activities such as beekeeping, aquaculture, climate-smart agriculture, solar-powered irrigation and improved shea butter processing provide alternative sources of income.
They also reduce dependence on environmentally destructive practices. Such interventions simultaneously strengthen household incomes and promote environmental stewardship.
Nature-based Solutions also contribute significantly to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration.
The Water Resources Commission estimates that large-scale ecosystem restoration within the Black Volta Basin could generate carbon storage benefits valued at approximately US$138 million, while helping Ghana meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Achieving these outcomes, however, will require sustained collaboration among government institutions, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, traditional authorities, civil society organisations, academic institutions, development partners, the private sector and local communities.
Protecting forests, restoring degraded landscapes, conserving wetlands, safeguarding riverbanks and promoting sustainable agricultural practices are no longer environmental choices alone.
They are strategic investments in national development, food security, water availability, public health and climate resilience.
Ghana’s environmental challenges are considerable, but they are not insurmountable.
Across the country, nature continues to demonstrate an extraordinary capacity to recover when given the opportunity.
Restoring degraded ecosystems, protecting critical water resources and working with nature rather than against it offer practical, affordable and sustainable solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing development challenges.
The growing body of scientific evidence is unequivocal: investing in Nature-based Solutions is investing in Ghana’s future.
The decisions taken today will determine whether future generations inherit degraded landscapes and dwindling natural resources or a resilient nation where thriving ecosystems continue to sustain lives, livelihoods and economic prosperity.
GNA
Edited by Beatrice Asamani Savage