CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Today, about half of the world’s populations live in urban areas (Olagimi, 2009). This increase in population in urban centers turn to exert large amounts of pressure on natural lands including wetlands, converting them to urban centers and agricultural lands. Such rapid development is associated with the depletion of ecosystems including wetland ecosystems and their services (UN-Habitat, 2016). This explains why developments in rural and urban areas is now the cause of more than 60% of national wetland loss (Tiffany et al., 2006) the conversion of wetlands for commercial development, drainage schemes, extraction of minerals, over fishing, tourism, siltation, pesticide discharges from intensive agriculture, toxic pollutants from industrial waste and the construction of dams and dikes in an attempt at flood protection are major threats to wetlands everywhere (WWF, 2017).  Although various nations around the world differ in their urbanization trends with some being highly planned than others, it remains true that urbanization does not take place without alterations or transformations over space. During this process, economic development and quality of life improvement are considered as major goals, and their influences on ecological systems are most often neglected. The degradation of natural ecological systems due to land use change, however, has become severe and may require immediate attentions from both local governments and urban planners. Very few environments exist in the world today that has not witnessed significant alterations or transformation by humanity for one reason or the other (Balgah,2007). The way humans employ land and its resources introduces change in demands of land to accommodate urban functions and environmental protection (UN-Habitat, 2009). The increasing rate of alteration is as a result of rural-exodus and natural increase. This increase in population alongside government planning actions when not properly checked goes a long way to alter or affect various existing ecosystems such as wetland ecosystems which are very vital as they serve as habitats for some plants and animal species. Wetlands occupy a central position as far as the earth’s natural resource base is concerned. There are numerous wetland ecosystem services as spelt by the 1971 Ramsar Convention (Ramsar, 2009-2012).These include flood control,groundwater replenishment, reservoirs of biodiversity, shoreline stabilization and storm protection.

Urbanization and land use changes in developing countries present formidable challenges. These changes include construction in wetland environments with its effects on natural resources, health conditions, social cohesion and on individual rights. Wetland areas are of high economic value. This value is declining with the ever increasing human pressure on the worlds wetlands and justifies the fact that the world’s wetlands have been lost to other uses like agriculture and infrastructural development. One of the drivers of wetland degradation is urbanization which is characterized with infrastructural developments. Wetlands are amongst the most valuable and productive ecosystems on earth (Castaineda and Herro, 2008) which are affected by land use dynamics and changes leading to their degradation (Tinneret al., 2002). The absence of control on wetland environments is the root cause of wetland loss. This could be costly as a result of misunderstanding and no sensitization on the services which these world environments provide. It has been reported that large percentage of wetlands over the last century have been lost due to drainage and land clearance as an effect of land use change- agriculture, industrial and urban development activities (Williams et al., 2009)

In Cameroon there exist several wetlands such as the Limbe and Wouri estuaries, the Ndop plain, Wazalogone flood plain, Bamendjim dam, Mape dam, Menchum river basin, Lake Oku and the Lake Awing. These ecosystems comprise of biodiversity components and contribute greatly to economic activities of the country such as agriculture, fishing, and hydro-electricity power.  Bamenda city in the northwest region of Cameroon is home to major wetlands such as the Mulang, Nkwen, Bambili and Ngomgham wetlands. As the town keeps witnessing rapid expansion in land uses of various types, the encroachment and degradation of her wetlands is been aggravated. Using wetland in peri-urban areas in the bamenda II municipality as a case in point this study investigates the effects of urbanization on wetland ecosystems services.

1.2 Statement of the research Problem

The expansion of Bamenda in a non-continuous manner exposes its wetland ecosystem services to all sources of vulnerability including the loss of some of these ecosystem services. High rate of urbanization is bringing about need for land, thereby forcing humans to encroach into the wetlands of theBamendaII municipality which are rich sites for biodiversity. This encroachment goes along side different land use activities which impact on the surrounding wetland ecosystems .This mutation is the case with theBamenda II municipality and has been the outcome of natural increase and rural exodus. The Bamenda wetland ecosystems are increasingly being under pressure due to the rapid rate of urbanization. These wetlands are being encroached by the population and other infrastructural developments. The high rate of competition between agricultural activities and settlements in wetland environments such as Nkwen, Bambili, Ngomgham and Mulang now exhibit heterogeneous characteristics to these wetlands. The wetlands are continuously being occupied by farmers for crop cultivation.

As these wetland ecosystems are being encroached, reclaimed and transformed, natural habitats of plants and animal species are being destroyed and this can eventually lead to their extinction. The construction of settlements in these wetland areas narrows the water channel thereby intensifying flooding in these areas, because of the need to protect and preserve wetland ecosystem services which form part of the natural heritage and largely considered as a sustainable greenbelt in Bamenda II municipality, appropriate planning is required from individual level to the state level.

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main research

What is the effect of urbanization on wetland ecosystem service in the peri-urban areas in the Bamenda II municipality?

1.3.2specific research questions were formulated:

(1)What are the trends or drivers of urbanization in the peri-urban areas in the bamenda II municipality?

(2)What are the potentials and occurrence of wetland ecosystem services in the bamenda II municipality?

(3)What are the implication of urbanization in wetland ecosystem services?

1.4 Research Objectives

 1.4.1 Main objective

To examine the effect of urbanization on wetland ecosystem services in the peri urban areas

1.4.2        Specific objectives were formulated:

(1)To determine the drivers and trends of urbanization of peri urban areas

(2)To determine the occurrence and potentials of wetland ecosystem services of the       Bamenda II municipality.

(3)To determine the implication of urbanization on wetland ecosystem services

1.5 Research Hypotheses

 1.5.1Main hypothesis

There is a positive correlation between urbanization and wetland ecosystems services in the Bamenda II municipality

1.5.2        Specific hypothesis

(1)The is a direct relationship between  drivers and increasing trend of urbanization of peri-urban areas in the Bamenda II municipality

(2)Their occurrence and declining potentials of wetland ecosystem services is a function of increasing urbanization in the area

(3)There is a direct implication of urbanization on wetland ecosystem services