Impact Story
MAnGROVE restoration in Ghana
MANCOGA is enhancing coastal resilience through mangroves
Ghana’s eastern coastline has a long history of shoreline erosion and flooding, with records dating as far back as 1907. Over the years, these challenges have intensified, placing livelihoods, homes, and ecosystems at risk. The region’s vulnerability is also caused by a widespread mangrove deforestation. Between 1980 and 2011, Ghana lost over 24% of its total mangrove cover. The loss of mangroves not only accelerates coastal erosion but also heightens the frequency and intensity of flooding events. Additionally, land-based nutrients have been increasingly discharged into coastal waters due to the absence of mangrove filtration, triggering problems such as reduced water quality and the decline of local fisheries. Restoring mangrove ecosystems is therefore crucial for enhancing coastal resilience acting as a Nature-Based Solution. The MANCOGA Project directly addresses these challenges by generating scientific evidence on the vital role mangroves play in carbon sequestration, water purification, and coastal protection.
What unique issue is mancoga addressing?
While the impacts of mangrove deforestation on coastal communities in Ghana have long been recognized, management responses have remained limited due to insufficient baseline data, weak stakeholder coordination, and the lack of long-term decision-support tools. MANCOGA responded to these gaps with a science-based, co-designed approach that brought together researchers, policymakers, and local stakeholders. The project worked to gather and analyze existing data, identify critical knowledge gaps, and develop practical mechanisms for addressing them, including new models and databases for assessing and predicting the role of mangroves and thereby laying the foundation for effective mangrove restoration.
What has been achieved so far?
MANCOGA has successfully
- established the first open-access mangrove database for Ghana’s eastern coast, consolidating diverse environmental and social datasets to guide future restoration and research.
- developed innovative digital tools, including a Digital Twin and a Coastal Vulnerability App, to model “what-if” scenarios, simulate the protective role of mangroves.
- advanced policy engagement through in-depth social research, the co-development of policy briefs with stakeholders, and the promotion of mangrove-based blue carbon opportunities for local communities.
- strengthened capacity and public awareness by training scientists and local actors, launching citizen science initiatives such as CoastSnap, and supporting outreach, school programs, and community-led sensitization efforts.
What else has mancoga achieved?
MANCOGA has also
- strengthened the science–policy interface by fostering direct dialogue between researchers, local authorities, and decision-makers, resulting in a shared ownership of solutions.
- promoted inclusivity and equity by actively engaging women leaders, district gender desks, and youth groups.
- expanded international collaboration and visibility through joint publications, conference presentations, and training exchanges.
- positioned Ghana as a key contributor in global discussions on Nature-based Solutions.
In what way has MANCOGA contributed to safeguarding livelihoods in local communities?
The MANCOGA project has helped identify practical ways to strengthen and diversify livelihoods in Ghana’s coastal communities while safeguarding mangrove ecosystems. By combining scientific research with local knowledge, the project revealed how sustainable mangrove management can reduce vulnerability to coastal hazards. Community members and traditional leaders actively contributed through participatory research and citizen science initiatives such as , deepening environmental awareness and fostering local pride in data collection and monitoring. The findings have informed policy briefs and recommendations laying the groundwork for sustainable livelihoods in a changing climate by combining the results from field observations, data collections, scenario calculations with a digital twin, the development of alternative livelihood scenarios and the incorporation of local knowledge.
How does MANCOGA support science-policy transfer?
MANCOGA has played a strong role in strengthening the science–policy transfer. At both the local and national levels, the data and insights generated through the project have been integrated into policy discussions and are expected to shape future coastal management. The project also enhanced the capacity of marine scientists to communicate their findings effectively to policymakers through presentations, reports, and policy briefs. The development of decision-support tools such as the digital Toolbox alongside dialogue platforms and stakeholder workshops bring scientists, policymakers, and communities together. These efforts have improved evidence-based decision-making while fostering collaboration between science and policy.
