Volta River Basin A Programme of the Governments of the Volta River Countries, with the assistance of the Global Environment Facility (the United Nations Environment Programme) Volta River Basin Preliminary Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis Final Report December 2002 Global Environment Facility-United Nations Environment Programme Project Development Facility (PDF-B) Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 TDA CONTENT AND PROCESS .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 SCOPE OF THE TDA .................................................................................................................. 1 2.0 BIOGEOPHYSICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC SETTING OF THE VOLTA RIVER BASIN ................................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 BIOGEOPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS ....................................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Relief ................................................................................................................................ 4 2.1.2 Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................ 5 2.1.3 Hydrogeology................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.4 Soils.................................................................................................................................. 6 2.1.5 Climate............................................................................................................................. 7 2.1.6 Hydrology ........................................................................................................................ 8 2.1.7 Dams and Reservoirs ..................................................................................................... 11 2.2 ECOSYSTEMS .......................................................................................................................... 14 2.2.1 The Short Grass (Steppe) Vegetation............................................................................. 14 2.2.2 Woody and Shrub Savannah, Open Forest of Dry Type................................................ 14 2.2.3 Woody and Shrub Savannah, Open Forest of Humid Type ........................................... 14 2.2.4 Dense Forest .................................................................................................................. 14 2.2.5 Coastal Ecosystem ......................................................................................................... 15 2.2.6 Protected Areas.............................................................................................................. 15 2.3 BIODIVERSITY......................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.1 Benin .............................................................................................................................. 18 2.3.2 Burkina Faso.................................................................................................................. 18 2.3.3 Côte d’Ivoire ..................................................................................................................21 2.3.4 Ghana............................................................................................................................. 21 2.3.5 Mali................................................................................................................................ 26 2.3.6 Togo ............................................................................................................................... 26 3.0 SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT SETTING....................................................28 3.1 POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS.......................................................................... 28 3.2 REGIONAL ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS .............................................................................. 30 3.2.1 Agriculture .....................................................................................................................31 3.2.2 Livestock ........................................................................................................................ 34 3.2.3 Fisheries......................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.4 Forestry.......................................................................................................................... 37 3.2.5 Industry .......................................................................................................................... 37 3.2.6 Mining............................................................................................................................ 38 3.2.7 Tourism .......................................................................................................................... 38 3.3 ANALYSIS OF USE OF LAND AND WATER RESOURCES AND FUTURE TRENDS ......................... 38 3.3.1 Regional Land and Water Resource Availability........................................................... 38 3.3.2 Regional Land and Water Resource Demand for the Present and Future.................... 39 4.0 LEGAL AND REGULATORY SETTING ............................................................................. 43 i 4.1 BENIN ..................................................................................................................................... 43 4.2 BURKINA FASO ....................................................................................................................... 44 4.3 CÔTE D’IVOIRE ....................................................................................................................... 45 4.4 GHANA ................................................................................................................................... 46 4.5 MALI....................................................................................................................................... 48 4.6 TOGO ...................................................................................................................................... 49 4.7 OVERVIEW OF NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT......................................................................................................................... 50 4.7.1 Regional Coordination...................................................................................................50 4.7.2 International Cooperation .............................................................................................52 5.0 MAJOR PERCEIVED PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ..............................................................54 5.1 LAND DEGRADATION.............................................................................................................. 57 5.2 WATER SCARCITY................................................................................................................... 67 5.3 LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY........................................................................................................... 75 5.4 FLOODING...............................................................................................................................81 5.5 WATER-BORNE DISEASES....................................................................................................... 85 5.6 GROWTH OF AQUATIC WEEDS ................................................................................................ 88 5.7 COASTAL EROSION ................................................................................................................. 89 5.8 WATER QUALITY DEGRADATION............................................................................................ 91 5.9 EMERGING ISSUES................................................................................................................. 100 6.0 STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS ...............................................................................................101 6.1 LAND DEGRADATION............................................................................................................ 101 6.2 WATER SCARCITY................................................................................................................. 102 6.3 LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY......................................................................................................... 104 6.4 FLOODING............................................................................................................................. 105 6.5 WATER-BORNE DISEASES..................................................................................................... 106 6.6 GROWTH OF AQUATIC WEEDS .............................................................................................. 107 6.7 COASTAL EROSION ............................................................................................................... 108 6.8 WATER QUALITY DEGRADATION.......................................................................................... 108 7.0 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OBJECTIVES.................................................................110