Ghana ratified the Convention of Biological Diversity (the CBD) in August 1994 and is a lead player in the area of wetland management in Africa. However there remain major impediments to achieving sustainable wetland management within Ghana in particular and West Africa in general. Previous studies conducted to obtain baseline information on the status of biodiversity in the country have revealed a lack of local expertise and taxonomic resources on river fauna in general and aquatic macroinvertebrates in particular. Priorities to improve the situation include taxonomic capacity building, assessment of the status of existing aquatic biodiversity, the development of practical tools to use in the management of rivers and increased engagement of local stakeholders in decision making about how they are managed. Finally, there is a need to promote an enhanced environmental awareness throughout Ghanaian society.

The priorities will be addressed in this project by a combination of activities including increased training of local and regional staff, the development of appropriate taxonomic resources for the identification of indigenous aquatic organisms, the deployment of these resources in a one year long assessment of the current status of aquatic communities in some example Ghanaian rivers, the production of educational materials for users at various levels of expertise, the development of a set of nested indicators of ecosystem health adapted for use within West Africa, and the production of a policy document outlining the means of applying the Ecosystem Approach in the management of Ghana's rivers

The effective management of lotic habitats is very important since they support local livelihoods and can be associated with disease (e.g. Onchocerciasis). Assessing the current status of the ecosystem health of the area will allow more informed environmental management decisions to be made. By engaging local communities and other stakeholders and raising the environmental awareness at various levels (from school children to water managers), public participation in decision making will be enhanced. Increasing the taxonomic capacity of local institutions will promote more frequent future monitoring of aquatic ecosystems and more effective sustainable management of their resources, protecting their biodiversity at the same time as local livelihoods.

In general, knowledge of stream biology in the tropics is patchy and accurate taxonomy is of particular concern (Jackson and Sweeney, J. of the N. American Benth. Soc., 1995, 14, 5-11). Previous studies by Prof. Gordon (co-ordinator in Ghana) have shown that this is true for lotic invertebrates in Ghana (Thorne, Williams and Gordon, 2000, J. of Freshwater Ecology, 15, 209-217). Ghana also lacks the financial resources to carry out the systematic water quality analysis which would be required to monitor the health of its aquatic ecosystems using chemical monitoring. Biological monitoring is less dependent on expensive equipment and can provide adequate information to improve management of the system. As well as more technical outputs, this project will be used to develop simple field guides which could be used by teachers and school children and community groups to collect valuable information, as well as helping the public to learn about the environment.

By strengthening the taxonomic capacity of researchers, enhancing environmental awareness throughout society, developing practical management tools for rivers, assessing the current status of riverine biodiversity in a selection of rivers and increasing the engagement of stakeholders in environmental decision making, the project will support the Government's implementation of Articles 7, 12, 13 and 18 of the Convention of Biological Diversity. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Ecosystems Approach, Inland Waters Biodiversity and Public Education and Awareness themes.