Dynamics of Urban Development and Wetland Management in East Kolkata Wetlands

Wetlands provide a diversity of ecosystem services (provisioning, regulatory, supporting and cultural services) which are essential for the human society. This is particularly necessary in cases where large urban agglomerations exist. These services are increasingly coming under pressure as a result of rapid and uncontrolled urban development which remains phenomenal in the developing world. Cameroon can boast of a number of wetland environments particularly, the Waza Logone flood plain, the wetlands of the Bakassi Peninsula, Lake Barombi Mbo and the Ndop Plains. The wetland ecosystems of the Ndop Plains have increasingly come under pressure as a result of urban development which is mirrored in population growth, housing and other infrastructural developments. While significant research works have been undertaken on aspects related to wetlands, agriculture and climate variability in the Ndop plains, there is insufficiency scientific information on the implications of urban development on wetland ecosystem services. Using questionnaire (where we systematically sample 140 households) and Landsat images which were complemented by field observations, relevant data were generated. With the aid of SPSS (version 21), the correlation between wetland ecosystem services and urban development at 0.05 level of significance was analysed. Our results reveal a significant negative relationship (r = -0.551 and -0.682) between urban development and the state of wetlands and their ecosystem services. This was further buttressed by geospatial data which revealed that the Ndop urban space increased from 3.7km2 in 1999 to 11.7km2 in 2017. In this regard, we suggest that the coordination of the urban development process through land use planning and zoning is imperative in the face of unabated urban development. We equally suggest the need to implement wetland management policies in line with the Ramsar convention’s paradigm on the “wise use” of wetlands.

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Land Use Dynamics and Wetland Management in Bamenda: Urban Development Policy Implications

Journal of Sustainable Development ◽

10.5539/jsd.v9n5p141 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 141 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Balgah Sounders Nguh ◽

Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Urban Development ◽

Development Policy ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Wetland Management ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Wetland Degradation ◽

Land Uses ◽

Land Use Dynamics ◽

Urban Development Policy

<p>Wetland ecosystems in the world have been affected by changing land uses brought about by rapid urbanization. The thrust of this study therefore is to examine the trend of land use dynamics and their implications on wetland management. Using land use maps for two periods – 1984 and 2014, aided by the administration of 75 semi-structured questionnaires, we exploited the rate of change of land uses and their effects on wetland management as well as the urban development policy implications for Bamenda. A positive relationship (0.5) was observed for land use change and wetland degradation. Furthermore, the results from land use analysis showed that between 1984 and 2014, significant changes were observed for residential land use which increased in surface area from 42% as of 1984 to 53% in 2014. In addition, agricultural land use increased from 11% to 34%. Conversely, the surface area covered by wetlands reduced from 27% in 1984 to 6% in 2014. The conclusion drawn is that in the face of further wetland degradation, the current trend of land use dynamics can be checked by the application of zoning laws to control the changes witnessed in the land uses (residential and agricultural land uses). In addition, the Bamenda City Council should promote public awareness through sensitization on wetland resources and should actively encourage the participation of the public, local government authorities and institutions in sustainably managing wetlands. </p>

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