Description
ABSTRACT
Land-based marine pollution (LMP) is complex, population dependent, ex-pensive to remedy, and a threat to both human and marine ecosystem health. It is one of the most difficult marine issues to tackle and resolve successfully. Scientists, managers, and policy makers have addressed it in many coastal states since the 1960s, placing pollution control into several treaties, agreements, and conventions, most of them still being implemented. This chapter discusses sewage (domestic and industrial), heavy metals, hydrocarbons, sediment uploads, and agrochemicals as the most important sources of LMP pollution to the Jamestown Beach. It also addresses invasive species, marine debris, and thermal contamination as threats to the health of the most important coast a land off shore ecosystems of the region. The harm that pollutants cause to species and habitats, e.g., coral reefs and mangrove forests, is contrasted with the potential of some marine ecosystem store si st and recover from some types of pollution, e.g., oil spills. The chapter serves as a guide to environmental managers on the priority LMP issues in the James town Beach, aspects of each issue to consider with urgency and commitment and the importance of ecosystem-based management (EBM) for prevention, mitigation, and remediation of LMP.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL PAGE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUNDOFSTUDY
- STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
- AIMANDOBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
- SIGNIFICANCEOFSTUDY
- SCOPEOFSTUDY
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
- INTRODUCTION
- REVIEW OF THE STUDY
- MAJOR MARINE POLLUTANTS IN THE IN JAMESTOWN BEACH
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1 APPROACHES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES
3.2 REGULATORY MEASURES
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING
4.2 DISCUSSION
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 CONCLUSION
5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS
References
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Jamestown Beach is a beautiful park containing a strip of beach, picnic areas, a concession stand, and kayak rentals. The Jamestown Beach is located in Jamestown, Virginia, right down the road from the Jamestown Settlement and Historic James town. This makes it a great addition to a day of site seeing at the historical sites in Jamestown, or a perfect destination on its own.
Sewage and waste water, persistent organic pollutants (including pesticides), heavy metals, oils, nutrients and sediments – whether brought by rivers or discharged directly into coastal waters – take a severe toll on human health and well-being as well as on coastal ecosystems. The result is more carcinogens in seafood, more closed beaches, more red tides, and more beached carcasses of seabirds, fish and even marine mammals.
About 80% of marine pollution is from the land. Pollution including agricultural runoff, untreated sewage, plastic litter, etc makes its way to the sea through heavy rain falls, intentional dumping by humans, etc which destroys the sea.
Ghana has faced several situations and challenges related to land-based pollutants and its impact on the maritime environment. When addressing the multifarious topic of marine pollution in a text on international marine environmental law, it is important to begin with an appreciation that, for the vast majority of marine pollutants, one must explore a wide-ranging legislative and regulatory array as pertinent to coastal watersheds and atmospheric emissions as to the marine environment. The reason for this is simple. The overwhelming majority of marine pollution is derived not from maritime activities, but from anthropocentric activities linked to land-based disturbances, factories, dock lands and farmlands, often
The 2020 oil spill at the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah occurred off the coast of Ghana, highlighting the need for effective response mechanisms to mitigate the environmental impact.
In1969, a accidental leak from a well offshore of Santa Barbara, Calif. It affected marine life in the coastal marine. Its effects were not adequately studied.
In 1991, the Intentional release of crude oil (estimated later to be 6-8 million barrels) from docked tankers belonging to Kuwait by Iraqi soldiers in the first few days of the Persian Gulf War.
The study reviews pollution sources and identifies the impacts on Ghana’s marine environment.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Pollution from land-based sources remains one of the most pressing threats to the health, resilience and services of the marine environment. It is simultaneously localized yet global, variable yet ubiquitous. It is heterogeneous to the point that writing about it collectively is scarcely dependable. The solutions are complex, demanding multilateral, collaborative and proactive policy responses, ranging from education and awareness campaigns, to financial and economic incentives, to legislative and regulatory regimes underscored by resolute punitive measures for environmental negligence and industrial laggards.
The marine environment in Ghana is being destroyed by waste and debris originating from onshore human activities. These waste and debris significantly affect the marine environment and its resources.
However, Ghana has inadequate strategies, programs, policy frameworks, and domestic laws to prevent land-based pollutants in the marine environment.
This research paper is key in providing a policy option to address the impacts of land-based pollutants in the marine environment and provide suggestions for the sustainable management of Ghana’s marine environment.
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The aim of this work is to access the approach to address land-based pollutants and its impact in the maritime environment: a case study in Jamestown.
The objectives of the study are:
- To identify the causes of the ineffectiveness in the implementation of measures used to prevent, reduce, and control land-based pollutants in the marine environment.
- To assess the current approach used to address the impact of land-based pollutants in the marine environment.
- To highlights the major pollutants in the James town Beach and their effects at the organism, population and ecosystem levels.
- To shows the importance of considering this problem from ecosystem-based management (EBM) perspective and how EBM can be an effective approach for mitigation of their effects and remediation of the affected ecosystems.
1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this work covers state approach to address land-based pollutants and its impact in the maritime environment of Jamestown Beach of Ghana
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
- The study aims to provide relevant policy options to address land-based pollutants impact on the marine environment through an ocean literacy program and a governance strategy.
- The strategy will endeavor to connect actors in the land-based pollution sector and educate them about the harm their actions cause in the marine environment.
1.6 METHODOLOGY
- Since the study is focused on a national approach to address land based pollutants impacts in the marine environment, maritime related professionals were best in the subject view.
- Quantitative data will ne collected to assess the impact of land based pollutants in Ghana, while qualitative insights will be gained through interviews and questionnaires.
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusions
The analysis of the preceding study yields the following conclusions:
- The regulation of land-based marine pollution at the global level remains a weak one in the sense that attempts to address land-based marine pollution have been made solely in the form of non-binding documents. It is argued that the development of global legal framework governing land-based marine pollution may be limited by at least four factors:
- Strong need for economic development,
- Complexity of substances, sources and actors to be regulated geographical and ecological divergences in each region,
- Economic and technological gaps between developed and developing coun
- Consequently, marine pollution from land-based sources has been regulated mainly by regional agreements. In this respect, it is important to note that new approaches and legal techniques are increasingly enshrined in regional treaties with a view to enhancing the regulation of land-based marine pollution. Those elements contain:
- The replacement of the black/grey lists approach by the uniformed approach,
- The adoption of precautionary approach,
- The establishment of EIA and monitoring systems, and
- International control for ensuring effective implementation of relevant rules.
Whereas the effectiveness of those approaches and techniques must be verified through State practice, it may at least be said that those legal techniques commonly seek to strengthen the regulation of the land-based marine pollution. Indeed, the uniform approach seeks to regulate marine pollution from land-based sources in a more comprehensive manner. Furthermore, the precautionary approach requires States to take measures necessary to prevent marine pollution from land-based activities before damage has been caused. Moreover, the use of BAT as well as BEP could to some extent specify regulatory measures which should be taken by each State in this field. Similarly, the obligation to undertake EIA as well as monitoring may serve to narrow States’ discretion in environmental policy making. In addition, it is argued that international control mechanisms can be a useful tool to secure the compliance of treaty obligations.
- On the other hand, it should be noted that the application of those approaches and legal techniques are qualified by economic, political and social elements. For instance, as discussed earlier, the application of the precautionary approach is qualified by economic, political and social factors. Furthermore, the use of the BAT as well as the BEP must be balanced with the “economic feasibility” of technology. Moreover, arguably the diligence and accuracy of reports submitted by the Contracting States may relay on technical and economic capabilities of States. Accordingly, it is conceivable that economic and political factors strongly influence the implementation of obligations concerning the regulation of the land- based marine pollution.
5.2 RECOMMENDATION
Effective control of land based sources of pollution requires not only assessment of the effect of pollutants to organisms and ecosystems and their resilience or recovery potential, but it also requires decisions regarding the human perception of the use and services provided by ecosystems in the frame work of ecosystem-based management. The suppression of the source of pollution is the first step to recover the natural characteristics of ecosystems. However, this recovery can take ecosystems through stages not desirable from the human point of view, which requires political decisions for intervention and an adaptive approach.
