Assessment of coastal and marine ecosystems in West Africa: The case of Ghana.

Coastal and marine ecosystems, as integral component of social, ecological, and economic systems, are critical in providing essential ecosystem services that underpin human activities, including fishing and mining. Effective management of these ecosystems is paramount to safeguarding their vital contributions. This study adopts a socio-ecological framework, "Drivers (D) of human activities (A), associated Pressures (P), State change in coastal and marine environments, Impact (I) on human welfare (W) and Response (R) as measures (M) of management, (DAPSI(W)R(M))," to analyse the complexities of coastal and marine ecosystems in the Ghanaian context.