Baraza

Category: Africa, Trade | Date: Mar 26 2009 | By: admin

When Nimu and Volker reported a dugong caught in a net at the south coast of Kenya, we thought it was a one off occurance. But now the true damage caused by nets has been revealed in this shocking story about how US aid is destroying marine life in Kenya has gone totally viral on the internet

“In 2003, USAID began a four-year project worth $575,000 to improve the lives of coastal communities. It worked on a project with a Kenyan government agency that included providing freezers for the fishermen to store their catch, along with boats and nets.

But the plastic nets are destroying the very ecosystems that the fishermen depend on and the tourists come to see, said Daniel Floren, who runs a local diving school.

Officials, experts and even the fishermen themselves acknowledge the nets are killing wildlife and coral.

“Without the reefs, there will be no diving. If we have nothing to show, I’ll have to shut up shop,” Floren said.

The aim of the U.S. project was to help lift local people out of poverty, said Robert Buzzard, a USAID official involved in the initiative. But there were no studies to show how the kind of equipment supplied might affect the marine life”.

I find this story highly disturbing because US aid disown responsibility for conducting an environmental impact assessment before issuing out these nets. I hope that the relevant government authorities take swift action

If you would like to help us save Kenya’s marine life, support the Whale Shark project.

Tags: dugong, fishing, Kenya, marine, Mombasa, Turtles, whale sharks, wildlifedirect

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