Managing social-ecological systems for resilience: fisheries in the small reservoirs of northern Ghana [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Jennifer Sigrid Hauck

Managing social-ecological systems for resilience:Fisheries in the small reservoirs of northern Ghana Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades (Dr. rer. nat) der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn vorgelegt von JENNIFER SIGRID HAUCK aus ERLENBACH AM MAIN Bonn 2010 1. Referent: Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Bohle 2. Referent: Prof. Dr. Paul L.G. Vlek Tag der Promotion: 19.01.2010 Erscheinungsjahr: 2010 Diese Dissertation ist auf dem Hochschulschriftenserver der ULB Bonn http://hss.ulb.uni-bonn.de/diss_online elektronisch publiziert To my wonderful family. ABSTRACT People in northern Ghana face an increasing number of challenges such as social change, political neglect, globalization and a lack of income generating alternatives. On top of this difficult situation they have to adapt to an increasing number of extreme climatic events that threaten the income from rainfed agriculture, their most important livelihood strategy. Hundreds of small multi-purpose reservoirs were built during the past 60 years to help the rural population deal with the difficult environmental conditions by enhancing flexibility and diversifying income sources. Fisheries in these reservoirs were assumed to be a rather incidental benefit.