Reducing the spread of COVID-19 partly depends on easy access to water to ensure adherence to good hygienic practices. However, most communities in Ghana face a series of challenges in accessing improved water sources. This study seeks to examine water access and its associated challenges, and the various strategies adopted by households to cope with these challenges in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of Ghana during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. Communities were stratified into rural and urban, and 400 households were randomly sampled for questionnaire administration. The data was inputted into SPSS and the results were analyzed using chi-square and descriptive statistics. Purposive and convenient sampling was used to select 30 informants for the qualitative interviews and the results were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that about 68.5% of households have access to pipe-borne water during COVID-19 compared to 8% who use unhygienic sources. Most households (54.5%) depended on pipe-borne water sources outside their dwellings. The main water accessibility challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic was the increased cost of water (41%) even though water provision was supposed to be free during the early period of the pandemic. Most respondents adapted to the situation by storing water using small-sized storage facilities and also had to buy from other vendors at an expensive rate. The study recommends the formation of a water and sanitation board and an increase in the capacity of the pumping station to ensure adequate provision of potable water for the communities on a sustainable basis.

Biodiversity in all its forms has come under threat. The rate of biodiversity loss has attracted global attention, and most governments are trying to put measures into place to reduce the rate of loss. One way to ensure that people are conscious of biodiversity conservation is through education. However, studies on creating awareness for biodiversity conservation have received less attention in the literature. To address this knowledge gap, this study used questionnaires to investigate the role of education in biodiversity conservation in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study found that environmental education, particularly an awareness of biodiversity conservation, is critical for conserving biodiversity. However, people’s knowledge of biodiversity conservation is too weak or inadequate to motivate them to incorporate biodiversity conservation practices into their daily activities. Furthermore, understanding the importance of biodiversity conservation comes with an increase in age. Increasing education on biodiversity conservation at an early age can help people become more aware of biodiversity conservation as they age, and they can incorporate it into their daily activities to reduce biodiversity loss. The study calls for a revision of the environmental education syllabus at various levels, particularly the basic and SHS levels, including more practical topics to help people change their attitudes and perceptions and incorporate biodiversity into their daily activities.

Microplastics (MPs) have been found in almost everything we eat and drink. With one‐third of all plastic waste being dumped in the ocean, MPs, derivatives from plastics, have contaminated our water sources and all the aquatic fauna in them. For many people, seafood forms one of their daily delicacies, and the method of cooking could have implications on the MP loads in them. There are, however, limited studies on the effects of the method of cooking on MPs in seafood, and to address this knowledge gap, this study looks at the effects of frying on MPs in fish. Eighteen raw fish samples were compared to 18 fried fish samples. The results showed more MP loads in the fresh fish than in the fried fish. Furthermore, there were more MP loads in the remaining oil used in frying than in the raw oil. The study recommends that there should be more education to create awareness of the reuse of oil used to fry fish, as this could pose a food security risk. Policies and strategies to help with the proper management of plastic wastes could also go a long way to reduce MPs in fish and seafood in general. Further studies to quantify the effects of MPs in foods on human health are warranted.

Enhancing the assets of the urban poor require collaborative efforts from the private and public sectors to strengthen urban governance. Institutions should be conversant with the aspects of assets adaptation strategies that are critical for the urban poor. Public sector engagement with urban poor on assets adaptation strategies is inadequate. Traditional authorities’ roles have been reduced to mere consultation which can impede the development of assets for the urban poor. Strengthening local political structures is crucial in enhancing the assets of the urban poor.

Ecotourism can be sustainable and contribute to environmental preservation if community members are empowered. However, few studies have investigated the empowerment of community members for sustainable ecotourism, particularly in developing countries. To address this knowledge gap, this study employs a mixed-method approach to investigate the extent of residents’ empowerment in four communities at two ecotourism destinations in Ghana. The study looked at six aspects of empowerment which are social, political, psychological, environmental, human, and economic. The findings indicate the need to build the human empowerment of and enact ecotourism policies to regulate ecotourism practices. The inclusion of human empowerment in the empowerment framework proved useful in analysing the strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of sustainable ecotourism objectives.