Socio-Economic Effects Of Coastal Plastic Pollution: A Study On The Coastline Of Central Region, Ghana

Abstract

Coastal areas provide employment, tourism, food, transportation, recreation, trade, etc. However, with increased coastal plastic pollution, these benefits have dwindled, causing harm to the socio-economic lives of fishermen. A review of the literature found limited empirical information on the socio-economic impacts of coastal plastic pollution. This study fills the gap by examining in depth how plastics affect fishermen's social and economic lives along the coastline of the Central Region of Ghana. The study used a mixed method approach, combining quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative methods (interviews and observations) to collect data from 280 fishermen and 12 key informants (6 chief fishermen and 6 fishmonger queens). The results showed that plastics were the most common beach litter. Plastic mixed with fish catch reduces income. The study also identified various social impacts of plastic pollution, including loss of aesthetic value, impact on tourism, reduced social identity and pride, health impacts, educational impacts, problems in meeting basic needs, and psychological and emotional impacts. The economic consequences were lost income, the cost of repairing fishing equipment, and wasted time and human resources. Fishermen's coping strategies include reducing fishing days, saving money in banks, engaging in side jobs, obtaining loans from banks, and purchasing fishing equipment in advance during prosperous times. The study recommends education, Clean-up exercises, recycling and the proper location of coastal landfills in coastal areas to minimize further losses.