Public Agenda (Accra)
Kwadwo Gyan-Apenteng
28 July 2006
Accra — One of Ghana's unknown tourism treasure lies between the Sakumono village and the western part of Tema.
This Ramsar Bird Watching Bay is a suitable tourist destination that is under utilized.
Nature has its own aesthetic features that stun the sensibilities of mankind, thus these natural resorts and sites serve as a place for people to go and cool off either for a vacation or to reduce stress levels
The Sakumono Lagoon is a part of the Ramsar Site thus it is interesting to find the local fishermen in the Sakumono area going about their duties surrounded by different kinds of birds.
The Technical Officer of this peaceful natural site, Yaw Ammo explained the resource base of the place.
"We have thirty-five different species of resident birds at the Sakumono Lagoon Ramsar site and they are all territorial birds, which mean they are based in the forest, these birds sojourn to different parts of the world depending on the season".
There are other holiday facilities at the Bird Watching Bay such as swimming pools and a play ground for children. Apparently, this tourist site does not receive as many visitors as should have been the case. Yaw Ammo said, "This is a perfect place for people to come and have fun, but I think only a few people who know about this place patronise it, this is an interesting place for both domestic and foreign tourist," he said.
Ammo who doubles as a tour guide says "and it is my duty to take all visitors round."
The Sakumono Bird Watching Bay is under the auspices of The Ministry of Forestry and the Department of Wild Life which also manages other ecological sites around the country.
The Site is situated at the West of Tema, enclosing an area of 1,364.35 hectares of land. There are thirty-five species of resident birds at the Sakumono Ramsar site and they are all territorial birds.
Among the numerous territorial birds at the bird Watching Bay are the Jacana, Red Shank, Grey Plover, Roseatte Tern, Turnstone, Black Winged Stilt, Little Stint, Curlew, Ringed Plover and Avocet
Another interesting feature of this ecological site is the trees; an aforestation project has been undertaken and it has become a remarkable landmark of the area. Though there were trees in the area, most of them were waning, thus planting new trees has brought a new life to the natural site.
The Technical Officer of the Bird Watching Bay described the birds as "amazing creatures that have their distinctive features which differentiate them from the other kinds".
The instrument of accession to the Convention on Wetlands is of international importance, especially as waterfowl habitat was adopted at Ramsar, Iran on February 2nd, 1971.
This Convention was deposited at the UNESCO headquarters on February 22nd, 1988. The Convention entered into force in Ghana on June 22nd, 1988 under the auspices of The Ministry of Forestry by section 11 of the Wild Animals Preservation Act, 1961, {Act 43}.
In a nutshell, the Ramsar ecological site stands out as a tranquil and relaxing tourist site that must be harnessed to its fullest potential to benefit the country in many ways.
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