Accra: Along Ghana’s Atlantic coast, women who have farmed oysters for generations are fighting to keep their livelihoods alive as climate change, mangrove destruction, and economic hardship threaten to erase a centuries-old tradition.

In the fishing community of Tsokomey near Accra, oyster harvesting has long been women’s work, passed down from mothers to daughters. Using mangrove roots as a natural breeding ground, they supply both food and income to their families. But today, that lifeline is in jeopardy.

More than 80 percent of Ghana’s mangroves have been lost to firewood collection, development projects, and environmental changes, pushing oysters into deeper, more dangerous waters. Women divers now plunge as deep as nine meters to collect them, risking their safety for a day’s catch. A basin of oysters sells for about 47 Ghanaian cedis, or four U.S. dollars barely enough to cover basic household needs.

Climate change compounds the problem, with rising sea levels, shifting salinity, and erratic weather reducing oyster survival and threatening fragile mangrove ecosystems. Meanwhile, Ghana’s ongoing economic crisis has left coastal families more vulnerable than ever.

Local associations and women’s groups have tried to respond. Farmers have replanted mangroves, introduced selective harvesting rules, and created community penalties for illegal cutting. Some successes are emerging, with oysters beginning to attach to newly planted mangrove roots. But conservation efforts are outpaced by the rate of destruction.

Support programs once funded by international donors, such as the Development Action Association, have been weakened by foreign aid cuts, leaving women without critical training and resources. Without stronger government intervention and renewed funding, activists warn that oyster farming could collapse within a generation.

For women like 54-year-old Grace Nutekpor, the struggle is personal. “Oysters are our life,” she said. “If the mangroves disappear, so does our future.”

As Ghana looks to balance economic recovery with environmental stewardship, the fate of its oyster farmers highlights a broader truth: protecting ecosystems is not just about conserving nature it is about safeguarding traditions, families, and the survival of entire communities.