Eco
Travel Gambia and partners Saturday commemorated Earth Day 2017, at a ceremony
held at the Gunjur Fisheries Centre in Gunjur on the theme “Environmental &
Climate Literacy”.
Earth
Day is an annual celebration geared towards reminding the world about the
importance of sustainable lifestyle and protection of the earth’s ecosystem.
Speaking
on the occasion, Omar A.J. Saho, founder of Eco Travel Gambia (ETG), said it
was a day on which they further strengthen their efforts as environmental
activists and development agents, in raising public awareness and engaging
stakeholders on environmental protection and preservation of the ecosystem.
He
said Eco Travel Gambia and its partners organised a beach cleanup in
commemorating Earth Day.
He
said the event was timely in dealing with the tragedy of unregulated fishing
and poor management solid waste along the Gunjur-Kartong coastline.
“This
pristine coastline of the country is turned to fish dumping site, which
pollutes the coastline of the two villages,” Mr Saho said.
He
said further that fish are caught beyond the capacity of local cold stores and
processing enterprises, resulting in the discarding of fish back into the
Atlantic Ocean, coupled with higher presence of solid waste along the
coastline.
He
further stated that overfishing and pollution of the coastal stretch between
Gunjur to Kartong villages has become a major problem, disturbing both the
coastal and marine ecosystem of the area.
Mr
Saho also said that despite The Gambia’s Fisheries Act 2007, Fisheries
Regulation 2008, and National Environment Management Act (NEMA) 1994 - all of
which protects the marine resources and the coastal environment - coastal
pollution and discarding of solid waste along the southern coastline has been a
major concern to their organization and partners in Gunjur village.
He
said they used this day to clean the beach so as to make the place conducive
for locals as well as minimise the risks of ecological pressures to marine
species.
“Since
we are involved in tourism and conservation, ensuring the sustainability of
coastline is part of our activities,” he said. “We believe that effectively
managing the Gambian coastline will supplement or help support the livelihood
sources of local communities through establishment of eco-camps, providing
safari tours, and as well help raise public awareness about green living
through eco-friendly lifestyles,” he said.
“In realising such eco-thinking concept of
environmentalism and economic diversification, protecting the coastline of the country
is the duty of the entire citizenry.”
He
said Eco Travel Gambia, in collaboration with Gunjur Youth Development
Association, Environmental Concern Group of Gunjur, and Anti-Malaria Marathon
Team of Gunjur, embarked on beach cleansing exercise of Gunjur Fisheries Centre
to commemorate Earth Day 2017.
“We
therefore call on citizens to back The Gambia’s efforts towards sustainably
conserving the marine and terrestrial resource of the country against all forms
of anthropogenic ecological disturbance.”
Policymakers,
environment activists, local communities and development agencies could not do
it all alone, he said, adding that it was with “motivation that ETG and its
partner organizations are participating periodically” in maintaining the
southern coastline.
