wildlife conservation ghana

Ocean Grabbing

This is a very interesting article. In African fishing communities local people are totally dependent on access to the ocean, and on being able to catch a sustainable number of fish once they get there.

At Meet Me There, while we have a seafront property, we have been very careful to make sure we do not block or disrupt off shore fishing by local fishermen.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA However, I have seen that, in other areas large hotels seal off ‘their’ patch of beach so local people, and local fishermen, no longer have access to it. This means that land that was once ‘common’ is removed from the local population and put in the hands of commercial interests.

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2598963/ocean_grabbing_a_new_wave_of_21st_century_enclosures.html

As well as this we have noticed that the catches made off the beaches are falling dramatically. As far as we know this is due to huge commercial fishing fleets operating just off shore which are scooping everything out of the sea. They destroy local fishing grounds and then move on. In this way they destroy the livelihood of fishing communities who could always previously rely on the sea as a food and sustenance.  M170

Protecting Turtles This October

Our Turtle Protection Team has been patrolling the beaches along the coast of Ghana this October. So far they have managed to protect 14 Olive Ridley Turtles, and 5 Leatherback Turtles. Sadly, they have also found 3 Leatherback’s that were killed.

GE DIGITAL CAMERASo, the turtles are again coming up onto the beaches to lay their eggs. I worry each year that they might not arrive, considering the threats they face from huge commercial fishing fleets and from all the plastic rubbish in the sea. But here they are again, thank God. And, without the protection of this team, kindly funded by friends in the UK, they all would have been killed on the beach. So, thank you everyone who has become involved in protecting these beautiful animals.