Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis
The complexities involved in the urbanization process and its effect on environmental sustainability and city aesthetics has been extensively researched in the conventional literature. The rapid urban growth in countries in the global south coupled with weak development control has led to the encroa...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Urban Governance |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2664328623000323 |
| _version_ | 1797793983677595648 |
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| author | Augustine Chiga Awolorinke Stephen Appiah Takyi Owusu Amponsah |
| author_facet | Augustine Chiga Awolorinke Stephen Appiah Takyi Owusu Amponsah |
| author_sort | Augustine Chiga Awolorinke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The complexities involved in the urbanization process and its effect on environmental sustainability and city aesthetics has been extensively researched in the conventional literature. The rapid urban growth in countries in the global south coupled with weak development control has led to the encroachment of environmentally sensitive areas. Yet, little is known among scholars on whether regulatory agencies have given up on the encroachment of ecologically sensitive areas to continue or they are powerless. This paper through a qualitative research approach explores the factors that influence non-compliance with land use and ecosystem regulations from the perspective of relevant stakeholders. Through face-to-face interviews, 19 participants from eleven (11) regulatory institutions in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area were interviewed. The findings of the study showed that several factors ranging from political, social, and economic adversely affect the ability of the regulatory agencies to effectively enforce the regulations that protect environmentally sensitive areas such as freshwater and wetlands. For example, in terms of political factors, the study showed that, the powerful nature of political actors in Ghana's democratic dispensation coupled with their continuous interference in the enforcement of regulations and the lack of sustained political will continue to threaten the sustainable management of environmentally sensitive areas. Socially and culturally, there is a shift from communal management of ecological resources to a formal public institutional management approach. Inadequate financial support, logistical constraints, and unavailability of technical experts and technology were economic factors that influence institutional non-compliance with land use and ecosystem regulations in Ghana The researchers conclude that the inability of the policymakers and the relevant authorities to address these political, social, and economic barriers confronting the regulatory agencies will continue to make them powerless when it comes to the enforcement of the regulations that protect environmentally sensitive areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:55:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-119faa8df2af45618b829a992ec8d832 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2664-3286 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:55:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Governance |
| spelling | doaj.art-119faa8df2af45618b829a992ec8d8322023-06-28T04:30:24ZengElsevierUrban Governance2664-32862023-06-0132148156Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi MetropolisAugustine Chiga Awolorinke0Stephen Appiah Takyi1Owusu Amponsah2Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, GhanaCorresponding author.; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, GhanaKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, GhanaThe complexities involved in the urbanization process and its effect on environmental sustainability and city aesthetics has been extensively researched in the conventional literature. The rapid urban growth in countries in the global south coupled with weak development control has led to the encroachment of environmentally sensitive areas. Yet, little is known among scholars on whether regulatory agencies have given up on the encroachment of ecologically sensitive areas to continue or they are powerless. This paper through a qualitative research approach explores the factors that influence non-compliance with land use and ecosystem regulations from the perspective of relevant stakeholders. Through face-to-face interviews, 19 participants from eleven (11) regulatory institutions in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area were interviewed. The findings of the study showed that several factors ranging from political, social, and economic adversely affect the ability of the regulatory agencies to effectively enforce the regulations that protect environmentally sensitive areas such as freshwater and wetlands. For example, in terms of political factors, the study showed that, the powerful nature of political actors in Ghana's democratic dispensation coupled with their continuous interference in the enforcement of regulations and the lack of sustained political will continue to threaten the sustainable management of environmentally sensitive areas. Socially and culturally, there is a shift from communal management of ecological resources to a formal public institutional management approach. Inadequate financial support, logistical constraints, and unavailability of technical experts and technology were economic factors that influence institutional non-compliance with land use and ecosystem regulations in Ghana The researchers conclude that the inability of the policymakers and the relevant authorities to address these political, social, and economic barriers confronting the regulatory agencies will continue to make them powerless when it comes to the enforcement of the regulations that protect environmentally sensitive areas.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2664328623000323Land useGKMARegulationsEnvironmentally sensitive areasCompliance |
| spellingShingle | Augustine Chiga Awolorinke Stephen Appiah Takyi Owusu Amponsah Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis Urban Governance Land use GKMA Regulations Environmentally sensitive areas Compliance |
| title | Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis |
| title_full | Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis |
| title_fullStr | Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis |
| title_short | Insouciant, powerless or helpless: An assessment of the factors that contribute to the non-compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the Greater Kumasi Metropolis |
| title_sort | insouciant powerless or helpless an assessment of the factors that contribute to the non compliance with the regulations that protect ecologically sensitive areas in the greater kumasi metropolis |
| topic | Land use GKMA Regulations Environmentally sensitive areas Compliance |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2664328623000323 |
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