During my time as an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, I’ve sat in a tiny boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean, watching a fishing boat pull in miles of drift nets. The nets were full of tuna, but there were also dead spinner dolphins, manta rays, thresher sharks and more – a grim demonstration of devastation at sea. I’ve been right up close with some of the biggest fishing … [Read more...]
Successful fishing line bin project expands its footprint
South Africa’s success with preventing discarded fishing line from ending up in the oceans or on beaches by using fishing line bins made from off-cuts of PVC pipe, is resulting in more than 77 new bins being manufactured for installation at beaches around the country ahead of next month's National Water Week campaign. These fishing line bins stand 60 cm high and are erected … [Read more...]
Concerns raised about Saldanha gas-to-power plant
While South Africa struggles to survive the impacts of the CoVid-19 pandemic, along with being ravaged by all the corruption that continues to be exposed, the Green Connection questions our government’s reasoning for pushing through Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), when there is little or no chance of meaningful engagement with those communities who will be most … [Read more...]
Sea Shepherd ships attacked at Vaquita Refuge
At about 07:00 on the morning of Thursday 31 December, a group of assailants in 5 - 7 fishing boats launched a violent attack on Sea Shepherd vessels Farley Mowat and Sharpie inside the Zero Tolerance Area of Mexico’s federally-protected Vaquita Refuge. The incident began as the crew of the Farley Mowat undertook efforts to retrieve a gillnet from the protected region, home … [Read more...]
National shark conservation plan of action released
The Department of Environment Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) recently released the official report on the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA-Sharks) in South Africa. In May 2020, following public concern about shark populations along the South African coast, the Minister of (DEFF), Ms Barbara Creecy, appointed an Expert Panel to … [Read more...]
Protecting South Africa’s sardine run
With billions of spawning sardines travelling north towards Mozambique, the annual sardine run is one of the planet's biggest migrations in terms of biomass. In a report for Call to Earth, CNN reports on the event, which runs along South Africa's east coast between May and July. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual sardine run would attract tourists from across the … [Read more...]
Energy plan should include voices of small-scale fishers
This past Saturday (21 November) was World Fisheries Day – a day that highlights the critical importance of fish and the lives they sustain and issues of concern such as over-fishing and fishing rights. The Green Connection also continues to raise awareness of the negative implications of offshore gas and oil exploration and drilling for the small-scale fishers living in about … [Read more...]
Inga 3 project going ahead amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) concluded a week-long conference in June earlier this year on the beleaguered Grand Inga Dam Project, where South Africa restated its commitment to purchase 5000MW of electricity from the proposed project, and the SA Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy is reported to be pressing ahead with their plans to procure power from the … [Read more...]
The time to act for our oceans is now
WILDOCEANS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, is causing quite a stir on social media with the launch of their WE DON’T NEED OUR OCEANS campaign. The environmental non-profit hopes to show South Africa (and the world) what life would be like without our oceans, and subsequently place a spotlight on just how much we depend on them, as well as mobilise a regional movement for … [Read more...]
Fishing fleets putting livelihoods at risk in the Republic of Congo
TRAFFIC, a partner on the Shark & Ray Protection Project of WILDOCEANS, has released a new study based on the concerns of artisanal fishers in the Republic of Congo about massive over capacity of fishing fleets that have put local food security, livelihoods and shark populations at risk. TRAFFIC’s report found that Congolese artisanal fishers are increasingly turning to … [Read more...]
Latest oil spill further evidence of fossil fuels’ destructive risks
The arrival of the Deepsea Stavanger oil drilling rig in Cape Town yesterday has many people concerned about the risks that come along with it, especially as the current oil spill disaster in Mauritius (SA’s backyard, photographed to the right) continues to wreak havoc. It is with this in mind that The Green Connection – an NGO working to support and empower local communities … [Read more...]
Innovation still out of reach for local lockdown-afflicted fishermen
This World Ocean Day, fishing communities from around the country are calling on government to commit to legitimising the sector, as a matter of urgency, to protect the livelihoods of coastal communities who have been dependent on the ocean for generations. While the recent lift in lockdown restrictions on fishers from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fishing … [Read more...]
World Environment Day calls for an end to nature’s destruction
One million plant and animal species risk extinction, largely due to human activities. These are issues the world cannot lose sight of even as we tackle the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis. The theme for World Environment Day, 5 June 2020, is biodiversity — a call to action to combat the accelerating species loss and degradation of the natural … [Read more...]
