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OCPP Ghana: MPA Short Course 2026

Abstract

The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP), in collaboration with the University of Cape Coast (UCC), developed an introductory blended‑learning course on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to strengthen national capacity for marine conservation in Ghana. The course was delivered in person for the first time by UCC in February 2026, marking an important expansion of Ghana’s domestic training offer in marine governance.

Structured across eight modules, the course introduces global, regional, and national drivers for marine protection; sets out the full MPA cycle from identification and designation through to management and monitoring; and positions MPAs within wider marine spatial planning processes. Case studies and practical exercises support the application of concepts to real‑world contexts, while the final module encourages learners to reflect on their future role in ocean stewardship. The course is designed for final‑year undergraduate and postgraduate students, government staff, and NGO practitioners, and has been shared with UCC for ongoing delivery and adaptation.

Course modules include:

  1. An Introduction to MPAs: Marine ecosystems, threats, international policy drivers, and the purpose and value of MPAs.
  2. MPAs Around the World: Global and regional drivers, MPA types and networks, and illustrative case studies, including African examples.
  3. MPAs in Ghana: National ecosystems, key pressures, policy commitments, RAMSAR sites, and progress toward Ghana’s first MPA.
  4. MPA Identification and Regulation: The MPA implementation cycle, site‑selection principles, stakeholder engagement, and practical identification exercises.
  5. MPA Management Planning and Management: Core elements of effective management planning, zoning, compliance considerations, and adaptive management.
  6. MPA Monitoring: Monitoring frameworks, research and monitoring plans, biodiversity survey approaches, data interpretation, and effectiveness assessment.
  7. Marine Spatial Planning and MPAs: Introduction to MSP, international and Ghana‑specific practice, and links to conservation, co‑existence, and participatory decision‑making.
  8. ‘Your Voice’: A reflective session on intergenerational responsibility, personal pathways into marine conservation, and the role of young professionals in future MPA governance.

Learning notes accompany each module, alongside a curated further‑reading list to support continued study.

These resources may not be fully accessible for all users. If you need copies in a different or more accessible format, please contact Communications@jncc.gov.uk.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Oceans

Reference date 2026·05·01

Lineage
The MPA short course modules and accompanying documents are deliverables of the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP), a UK-led programme funded through the UK's Blue Planet Fund.

Responsible organisation
Communications, JNCC author

Limitations on public access No limitations.

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2026·05·19

Metadata point of contact
Communications, JNCC

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