Songor Lagoon
Encyclopedia
The Songor Lagoon is located at 05°45'N 000°30'E on the eastern coast of Ghana
, West Africa. The site covers an area of 28,740 hectares, and it is located just outside of the major town of Ada and to the west of the Volta River
estuary. It was designated as Ramsar wetland site of international importance
number 566 on June 22, 1988. Among several other important functions, it acts as habitat and/or breeding ground for several notable species.
that is continually refilled by seepage, runoff, creeks, and streams. It is characterized by high salinity levels and surrounded by mudflat
s that are inundated for most of the year. The soil is a tropical gray earth type with an unconsolidated sand, clay, and gravel composition. Up to a depth of 80 cm, visibility allows for a clear view of the bottom of the lagoon. Hide tide occurs at a depth of 1.98 m; at this point, water from auxiliary creeks can flow into the lagoon. Low tide occurs at 0.11 m. Average temperature, rainfall, and humidity are 23-33°C, 750 mm, and 60% respectively. The elevation varies between 15 m near the coast and up to 75 m above sea level.
and mangrove species dominate the area, the florae are largely segregated within the site. The lagoon and mudflats are populated by Paspalum vaginatum
, Cyperus articulatus, Sesuvium portulacastrum
, and Elocharis mutate. Adropogon guyanus
, Heteropogon contortus
, and Azadirachta indica are common around the catchment areas
while Rhizophora racemosa
and Avicennia africana
are found along the creeks. The last two mangrove species are considered to be of particular value. While Rhizophora racemosa is not considered threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
and Avicennia africana has not been evaluated, populations are believed to be in decline. Locals have implemented mangrove restoration projects in the past because they acknowledged that mangroves contribute to the abundance of fauna by providing shelter; the efforts met with varying degrees of success.
, Chelonia mydas
, and Lepidochelys olivacea. All three species are classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of marine species, manatee
s are also known to inhabit the waters surrounding the site. The lagoon additionally acts as an important waypoint for European migratory birds that winter in Ghana. The most commonly seen genera/families are Recurvirostra, Sternidae, and Tringa
. Because the site has been known to exceed a bird population of 100,000 in the European winter, with migratory terns, sandpipers, stilts, plovers, and other waterfowl adding to the local population, the Songor Lagoon is regarded as one of Ghana’s most important wetland sites (second only to Keta Lagoon
.)
, Burkina Faso
, Mali
, and Nigeria
. Several clans in the area, the Adabiawe, Lomobiawe, Dangbebiawe and Tekperbiawe clans, depend on salt extraction as their primary source of revenue, producing approximately 900,000 metric tons of salt per year. In addition to harvesting the natural products of the lagoon, the local people use the land around the lagoon for cattle grazing, road development, and farming cassava, maize, tomatoes, okra, pepper, beans, onions and watermelons.
The lagoon is also viewed as a sacred cultural site for some. A small section of the site, called the Yomo lagoon, has been spared from land cultivation for the salt mines. This decision was made in deference to a sect of local people who consider the Yomo lagoon to be a consecrated area. Additionally, several community leaders of Ada have indicated that the natural habitat surrounding the town has been traditionally protected for generations. Aside from granting the lagoon and Volta estuary recognition as some of the few places left on earth where sea turtles still nest, the people of Ada believe that these sites are powerful places where human, animal, and other spirits meet.
s, black-winged stilts
, ringed plovers
, curlew sandpipers
, spotted redshanks
, and greenshank
s. The lagoon’s second most popular ecotourist attraction is its guided sea turtle walk program. The walks are managed by the Ghana Wildlife Division, with the best months to see turtles being August through March. The walks are conducted at night, between 23:00 and 2:00, when sea turtles are likely to be seen nesting on the beach. However, as all sea turtle species are threatened, the Wildlife Division officers often remind tourists that a turtle sighting is a rare event and cannot be guaranteed to occur during the walk.
Other visitors prefer to tour the site by boat, readily booking trips privately or through the Manet Paradise Hotel. These excursions often afford birders a more diverse viewing at Crocodile Island, where little egrets
, western reef herons
, and cormorant
s are known to breed; the island is also acclaimed for its basket-weaving industry. Another attraction that can only be reached by boat is Sugar Cane Island, which offers tours of its rum distillery. Additionally, boats can be commissioned through the Manet paradise hotel for deep-sea fishing trips, which generally last all day.
. Some common cases are over-fishing, extreme harvesting of mangroves, extensive drainage and cultivation for farmland, heavy grazing by cattle and livestock, and an unsustainable level of salt winning. These threats are difficult to neutralize because the human communities surrounding the lagoon are largely poor and over-populated. In effect, the local people are dependent upon their harvesting of the lagoon for survival. Although ecotourism provides an ecologically friendly source of income, the practice is not extensive enough to sustain the local communities. Additional threats originate from the use of pesticides and herbicides, the damming of creeks and channels for the purpose of expanding infrastructure, and rubbish dumping.
These threats can and, in some instances, have had dire consequences. The breeding cycles of nesting species, like the several sea turtle species hosted by the lagoon, can be disturbed by exaggerated human activity. Furthermore, the eggs of such species are often trampled by grazing cattle and livestock. Another realized effect of human exploitation is the apparent shrinking of the lagoon, which can be easily observed in the satellite photo comparison shown at the opening of this article. Further disturbance of the lagoon could result in not only the loss of species that inhabit the site, but also the loss of nutritive and moderating benefits provided by the site. Aside from purifying ground water, acting as a reservoir for nutrients, and supporting the local food chain, the lagoon regulates water flow, staggers and lessens the effects of flooding, and disperses the extreme erosive forces exerted on the shore by the Atlantic Ocean.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, West Africa. The site covers an area of 28,740 hectares, and it is located just outside of the major town of Ada and to the west of the Volta River
Volta River
The Volta is a river in western Africa that drains into the Gulf of Guinea. It has three main tributaries—the Black Volta, White Volta and Red Volta...
estuary. It was designated as Ramsar wetland site of international importance
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
number 566 on June 22, 1988. Among several other important functions, it acts as habitat and/or breeding ground for several notable species.
Physical Features
The site itself is a closed lagoonLagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
that is continually refilled by seepage, runoff, creeks, and streams. It is characterized by high salinity levels and surrounded by mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s that are inundated for most of the year. The soil is a tropical gray earth type with an unconsolidated sand, clay, and gravel composition. Up to a depth of 80 cm, visibility allows for a clear view of the bottom of the lagoon. Hide tide occurs at a depth of 1.98 m; at this point, water from auxiliary creeks can flow into the lagoon. Low tide occurs at 0.11 m. Average temperature, rainfall, and humidity are 23-33°C, 750 mm, and 60% respectively. The elevation varies between 15 m near the coast and up to 75 m above sea level.
Flora
Although SesuviumSesuvium
Sesuvium is a genus of flowering plants in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae. The roughly eight species it contains are commonly known as sea-purslanes.-Selected species:* Sesuvium crithmoides Welw. – Tropical Sea-purslane...
and mangrove species dominate the area, the florae are largely segregated within the site. The lagoon and mudflats are populated by Paspalum vaginatum
Paspalum
Paspalum is a genus of the grass family . Commonly known as paspalums, bahiagrasses or dallis grasses most are tall perennial American grasses. They are most diverse in subtropical and tropical regions....
, Cyperus articulatus, Sesuvium portulacastrum
Sesuvium portulacastrum
Sesuvium portulacastrum, commonly known as shoreline purslane or "sea purslane", is a sprawling perennial herb that grows in coastal areas throughout much of the world.-Description:...
, and Elocharis mutate. Adropogon guyanus
Andropogon
Andropogon is a genus of grasses. Andropogon gerardii, big bluestem, is the official state grass of Illinois.Broomsedge is found along the eastern United States...
, Heteropogon contortus
Heteropogon contortus
Heteropogon contortus is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia and Oceania. The species has also become a naturalised weed in tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas and East Asia. The plant grows to ...
, and Azadirachta indica are common around the catchment areas
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
while Rhizophora racemosa
Rhizophora
Rhizophora is a genus of tropical mangrove trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the Red Mangrove but some other species and a few natural hybrids are known. Rhizophora species generally live in intertidal zones which are indundated daily by the ocean...
and Avicennia africana
Avicennia
Avicennia is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by aerial roots. Species of Avicennia occur worldwide south of the Tropic of Cancer.The...
are found along the creeks. The last two mangrove species are considered to be of particular value. While Rhizophora racemosa is not considered threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
and Avicennia africana has not been evaluated, populations are believed to be in decline. Locals have implemented mangrove restoration projects in the past because they acknowledged that mangroves contribute to the abundance of fauna by providing shelter; the efforts met with varying degrees of success.
Fauna
Several endangered and noteworthy animal species inhabit the Songor Lagoon. In fact, some intensive research is focused on the sea turtles that nest in the area. The three species that frequent the beaches are: Dermochelys coriaceaLeatherback Sea Turtle
The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its...
, Chelonia mydas
Green Sea Turtle
The Green sea turtle or green turtle is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
, and Lepidochelys olivacea. All three species are classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of marine species, manatee
Manatee
Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows...
s are also known to inhabit the waters surrounding the site. The lagoon additionally acts as an important waypoint for European migratory birds that winter in Ghana. The most commonly seen genera/families are Recurvirostra, Sternidae, and Tringa
Tringa
Tringa is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the Green Sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern...
. Because the site has been known to exceed a bird population of 100,000 in the European winter, with migratory terns, sandpipers, stilts, plovers, and other waterfowl adding to the local population, the Songor Lagoon is regarded as one of Ghana’s most important wetland sites (second only to Keta Lagoon
Keta
Keta is a city in Volta Region, Ghana. It was an important trading post between the 14th and late 20th century via a port and fort built by the Dutch in 1784. Parts of the city were devastated by sea erosion between the 1960s and 1980s....
.)
The People
The Songor Lagoon is of particular cultural and utilitarian value to the local people living in and around Ada. Reeds, fuel wood, tilapia, crab, and other game are harvested from the site on a mainly subsistence basis while salt is extracted for widespread distribution to TogoTogo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Several clans in the area, the Adabiawe, Lomobiawe, Dangbebiawe and Tekperbiawe clans, depend on salt extraction as their primary source of revenue, producing approximately 900,000 metric tons of salt per year. In addition to harvesting the natural products of the lagoon, the local people use the land around the lagoon for cattle grazing, road development, and farming cassava, maize, tomatoes, okra, pepper, beans, onions and watermelons.
The lagoon is also viewed as a sacred cultural site for some. A small section of the site, called the Yomo lagoon, has been spared from land cultivation for the salt mines. This decision was made in deference to a sect of local people who consider the Yomo lagoon to be a consecrated area. Additionally, several community leaders of Ada have indicated that the natural habitat surrounding the town has been traditionally protected for generations. Aside from granting the lagoon and Volta estuary recognition as some of the few places left on earth where sea turtles still nest, the people of Ada believe that these sites are powerful places where human, animal, and other spirits meet.
Ecotourism
Songor Lagoon’s complement of rare and diverse species makes it a popular tourist attraction. Birders are probably the lagoon’s most avid ecotourists, attracted to the thousands of birds that migrate to the site in the European winter. The area’s two bird watching platforms, one in Pute and one in Lolanya, host the birders while they observe and photograph varieties such as sandwich, black, royal, roseate, and little ternTern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s, black-winged stilts
Black-winged Stilt
The Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family . Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize...
, ringed plovers
Ringed Plover
The Common Ringed Plover or Ringed Plover is a small plover.Adults are 17-19.5 cm in length with a 35–41 cm wingspan. They have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes...
, curlew sandpipers
Curlew Sandpiper
The Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
, spotted redshanks
Spotted Redshank
The Spotted Redshank, Tringa erythropus, is a wader in the large bird family Scolopacidae. It breeds across northern Scandinavia and northern Asia and migrates south to the Mediterranean, the southern British Isles, France, tropical Africa, and tropical Asia for the winter...
, and greenshank
Greenshank
The Common Greenshank is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. Its closest relative is the Greater Yellowlegs, together with which and the Spotted Redshank it forms a close-knit group...
s. The lagoon’s second most popular ecotourist attraction is its guided sea turtle walk program. The walks are managed by the Ghana Wildlife Division, with the best months to see turtles being August through March. The walks are conducted at night, between 23:00 and 2:00, when sea turtles are likely to be seen nesting on the beach. However, as all sea turtle species are threatened, the Wildlife Division officers often remind tourists that a turtle sighting is a rare event and cannot be guaranteed to occur during the walk.
Other visitors prefer to tour the site by boat, readily booking trips privately or through the Manet Paradise Hotel. These excursions often afford birders a more diverse viewing at Crocodile Island, where little egrets
Little Egret
The Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....
, western reef herons
Western Reef Heron
The Western Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, also known as the Western Reef Egret, is a medium-sized heron. It occurs mainly on the coasts in tropical west Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and east to India...
, and cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s are known to breed; the island is also acclaimed for its basket-weaving industry. Another attraction that can only be reached by boat is Sugar Cane Island, which offers tours of its rum distillery. Additionally, boats can be commissioned through the Manet paradise hotel for deep-sea fishing trips, which generally last all day.
Threats and Possible Consequences
The main threats to the site exist as varied forms of excessive utilizationOverexploitation
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Sustained overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource...
. Some common cases are over-fishing, extreme harvesting of mangroves, extensive drainage and cultivation for farmland, heavy grazing by cattle and livestock, and an unsustainable level of salt winning. These threats are difficult to neutralize because the human communities surrounding the lagoon are largely poor and over-populated. In effect, the local people are dependent upon their harvesting of the lagoon for survival. Although ecotourism provides an ecologically friendly source of income, the practice is not extensive enough to sustain the local communities. Additional threats originate from the use of pesticides and herbicides, the damming of creeks and channels for the purpose of expanding infrastructure, and rubbish dumping.
These threats can and, in some instances, have had dire consequences. The breeding cycles of nesting species, like the several sea turtle species hosted by the lagoon, can be disturbed by exaggerated human activity. Furthermore, the eggs of such species are often trampled by grazing cattle and livestock. Another realized effect of human exploitation is the apparent shrinking of the lagoon, which can be easily observed in the satellite photo comparison shown at the opening of this article. Further disturbance of the lagoon could result in not only the loss of species that inhabit the site, but also the loss of nutritive and moderating benefits provided by the site. Aside from purifying ground water, acting as a reservoir for nutrients, and supporting the local food chain, the lagoon regulates water flow, staggers and lessens the effects of flooding, and disperses the extreme erosive forces exerted on the shore by the Atlantic Ocean.