KNYSNA NEWS - On World Ocean Day, last Wednesday 8 June, environmental organisation Bigai Small-Scale Fishers carried out a beach clean-up to spread awareness about the importance of ocean protection.
"As fishers, we rely on the ocean and the lagoon to put food on the table," said small-scale fisher Julie Danhausen.
"I urge our communities to work together to keep our ocean clean, at all times. This is also why I am against offshore oil and gas because of the negative impact it will have on our ocean, harming marine life and destroying fisher livelihoods in the process. Already our small-scale fishers in Knysna have lots of problems... and we are not always included in the decisions that affect us. However, we are learning more about our human and environmental rights, and how to defend these rights."
It has been two years since The Green Connection, under its Who Stole Our Oceans campaign, started working with coastal communities whose livelihoods are being threatened by offshore oil and gas projects.
The initiative is focused on protecting the oceans, particularly through opposing offshore oil and gas mining. In addition, and critical to the campaign, is empowering coastal communities and small-scale fishers to be able to advocate for their environmental and human rights, and to call out various projects that appear to go ahead without meaningful public consultation.
According to The Green Connection's community outreach coordinator, Neville van Rooy, these past two years have been both heart-breaking and exhilarating.
"While it is painful to see, in our so-called democracy, that the voices and rights of indigenous and already marginalised peoples continue to be blatantly ignored and stomped on, I am inspired by the tenacity of our coastal communities," he says.
"Now that they are more aware of their environmental rights, they are certainly making their presence felt."
The Green Connection's Strategic Lead Liziwe McDaid says, "World Ocean Day should be celebrated in appreciation of the value that the ocean holds for us all, as humanity.
Not only does it give us oxygen but also absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, stabilising the planet against climate change. It also provides us with food and sustains the livelihoods of coastal communities, and it is popular for leisure activities."
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