We’re excited to share with you our latest Annual Review, with stories and reports from around the A Rocha world.
The birds that connect our world
From Europe to Ghana and back
This tiny bird barely weighs more than a teaspoon of sugar, yet it connects Ghana with Europe. In the quiet wetlands of Salo in Ghana’s Keta Lagoon, a Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus was caught and banded by Timothée Schwartz, Scientific Director for A Rocha France. Seven months later, in September 2025, that same Eurasian Reed Warbler was recaptured in Sourbrodt, Belgium by ornithologist Emile Degros. This one-year-old warbler traveled nearly 5,000 km, connecting the wetlands of Ghana and the marshes of Europe in an awe-inspiring journey.
‘The recapture of this bird on European soil is a powerful symbol of the invisible threads that tie our ecosystems together.’ – Prosper Kwame Antwi, Programmes Manager, A Rocha Ghana
This Reed Warbler was captured during collaborative field surveys between A Rocha Ghana and A Rocha France as part of the ProBioDev project. Standing for ‘Promoting Biodiversity Conservation for Development’, the project represents an international effort to protect one of Ghana’s most important migratory bird stopover sites, the Keta Lagoon Ramsar Site.
Creatures of the Keta Lagoon Wetland
Keta Lagoon provides for local communities in abundant ways: it’s used for fishing for food and income, cutting reeds for thatch and weaving, harvesting salt, and irrigating crops. However, some of these activities have degraded the lagoon’s essential habitats. A Rocha Ghana is helping locals encounter the lagoon in a new way and engage with it sustainably. Â
Imagine looking out on the beaches where Leatherback Dermochelys coriacea, Green Chelonia mydas and Olive Ridley Lepidochelys olivacea Turtles come to breed. Amongst the mangrove trees, you may spot a swamp-dwelling antelope, the West African Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekii. The vulnerable West African Manatee Trichechus senegalensis swims around the mangrove’s underwater roots, alongside juvenile Flat Sardines Sardinella mardrensis, ancient-looking Needle Fish Strongylura senegalensis and a variety of shrimps.  Â
And of course, there are the birds. Recognized internationally as a Ramsar Site, Keta Lagoon regularly welcomes over 100,000 birds at a time. It is a vital refuge for countless residents and migratory species journeying from Europe. This includes the Vulnerable Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, the Near-Threatened Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata and a whole revelry of other, more common species. Â
Jewel-like Malachite Kingfishers Corythornis cristatus sport a blue and black crown. A chuckling ‘coo-coo coo ru’ indicates the presence of Laughing Doves Spilopelia senegalensis. Western Reef-Herons Egretta gularis stalk the shores alongside a variety of sandpipers, godwits and plovers. Â
‘This tiny traveller is more than just a scientific record,’ reflects Prosper, after the Eurasian Reed Warbler was recaptured in Belgium. ‘It’s a message of hope that by protecting wetlands and wildlife, we’re nurturing the bonds that unite our world.’
Local restoration with a global impact
The incredible routes taken by migratory birds act as invisible threads that stitch our world together. Sensitive to changes in climate, habitat and pollution, they bear the brunt of the harm humans have done to our environment. At the same time, restoring a site like Keta Lagoon has a global impact, supporting life far beyond Ghana’s borders.  Â
Despite its importance for biodiversity, the Keta Lagoon wetland faces many threats. Between 10 and 30 percent of residents in the surrounding districts live in poverty, relying heavily on fishing, agriculture, and mangrove harvesting. However, there is a lack of community awareness of the importance of the site for nature and people. The wetland has been overexploited for its resources and polluted by agrochemicals, fertilizers and household waste.Â
Climate change is also a grave risk to the Keta Lagoon site and the surrounding communities due to sea level rise and storms of increasing frequency and intensity. Coastal vegetation, especially mangrove forests, is one of the most effective defenses against floods and storms, but they are being harvested unsustainably. Â
Compounding these environmental stressors is the lack of updated information on bird species and the habitats and sites most important for them, with limited bird monitoring taking place. A Rocha’s ProBioDev project was created to protect the lagoon for the many people and species that depend on it – in Ghana and beyond.Â
Through funding from the IUCN French Committee, A Rocha Ghana and A Rocha France are joining forces to combine scientific research, community empowerment and habitat restoration in the Keta Lagoon Ramsar Site. Over two years, the ProBioDev project aims to:Â
- Conduct a comprehensive inventory of bird species and update habitat mapsÂ
- Train local community members to monitor and protect bird populationsÂ
- Promote eco-friendly livelihoods such as birdwatching tourismÂ
- Support mangrove restoration and ecological farming to enhance food security and climate resilienceÂ
In October 2025, A Rocha France conducted a second field mission in Ghana. Scientific Director Timothée Schwartz was accompanied by Charlotte Leon, A Rocha France’s nature manager at Les Courmettes environmental centre, and Andrew Newton, an ornithologist and long-time friend of A Rocha. After conducting an inventory of Keta Lagoon’s bird species several months prior (when they ringed the famed Eurasian Reed Warbler), the A Rocha France contingent returned to complete the inventories and train local teams in bird identification and monitoring.Â
A Rocha France led four bird ringing sessions, which brought together the many groups collaborating to protect the lagoon, including A Rocha Ghana, rangers from the Wildlife Division responsible for managing the Ramsar site, and rangers from the nearby Avu Lagoon site. Timothée led two training sessions on waterbird counting and identification, as well as data entry and analysis. With a new system for cataloguing data, local monitoring efforts will have an even greater impact on understanding and conserving this critical site. Â
On World Migratory Bird Day, the wider community was welcomed into the mission to conserve the lagoon. A Rocha hosted over 150 children, as well as the mayor and representatives of the local congressman, for a day of discovering and celebrating migratory birds. A friendly bird competition was followed by speeches and presentations on the concept of bird migration, the threats facing migratory birds and solutions for taking action. Finally, the group was brought out to the lagoon to observe the remarkable water birds living just steps from the school that hosted the event.Â
While a love for migratory birds is at the centre of the ProBioDev project, protecting them means conserving the habitats on which they depend and building systems where human communities thrive, as well. A Rocha Ghana is raising awareness among local communities of the importance of wetlands for biodiversity, livelihoods, food security and climate resilience. They are training locals, especially women and youth, in mangrove restoration and sustainable harvesting, while also training subsistence farmers in climate adaptation techniques that benefit biodiversity and ecosystems. By developing partnerships with local agencies, A Rocha Ghana is ensuring that the project has strong local buy-in and its benefits extend far into the future.
By protecting migratory birds, we are protecting the planet.Â
Seeding fertile ground: A Rocha’s Global Conservation Fund
A Rocha’s Global Conservation Fund supports conservation work around the world, including reconciliation work in Uganda, a new marine programme in India, and sustainable livelihoods in Peru. A second round is now underway to pilot innovative approaches such as ‘tiny forests’ in the UK, evaluating long-term conservation scholarships in Kenya, and developing outdoor church initiatives in the Netherlands. In this recording, A Rocha International’s Nick Warren and Kuki Rokhum share the vision, successes, and challenges behind this growing global initiative.