Henry Kerali, The World Bank Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone has noted that Sustainable natural resources including seascape management are essential for World Bank’s mission is to eradicate poverty and boost shared prosperity in a sustainable manner.
According to him, Natural resources serve to bolster inclusive economic growth in many countries.
They are the primary assets for the most poor and vulnerable in many countries, particularly for people at the rural and coastal frontier. Globally, over 300 million livelihoods are estimated to depend on ocean fishing, aquaculture, and tourism, with 97 percent of livelihoods directly dependent on fisheries and aquaculture occurring in developing countries, mostly in small-scale operations in Asia.
Henry Kerali made these remarks at the African Journalists For Sustainable Fisheries Workshop held in Accra.
He noted that, in Africa, over 12 million people are engaged in the fisheries sector, including inland fishing, fish farming and marine capture fisheries and that although fishing jobs are typically dominated by men, women play an important role in post-harvest activities such as processing, and represent about 27% of total fisheries workforce.
However, a big concern is that our coasts and oceans are under threat. The world has lost 20% of its sea grass since 1970, and alsolost 20%mangrove habitats since 1980. Coral reefs have globally declined by 38 percent since 1980.
As coastal cities and populations have grown alongside global agricultural production and energy consumption, so too has the level of pollution entering the ocean, 80 percent of which now comes from land-based sources. A recent initiative launched by the World Economic Forum reported that by 2050 plastics will outweigh fish in the oceans. I am sure we can all agree that this is a pretty grim outlook.
Climate change, he stated, is putting additional pressure on coastal natural resources with effects such as weather-related disasters, accentuated coastal erosion, which affects coastal communities the most.
He added that, sooner than later, millions more people will be less resilient against shocks in coastal zones in Africa, stressing that in West Africa, coastal erosion is as much as 10 meters per year in some areas.
In the face of climate change, the Africa Climate Business Plan, presented at the Paris COP21, the World Bank committed to raising $16billionfor climate resilience, including $1.2billion in support of the ocean economy and coastal resilience in Africa.
Resilient coasts, sustainable fisheries, and healthy oceans constitute natural capital that can be sustainably exploited for current and future generations. Given the need for more jobs and more resilience to shocks across the African continent, the World Bank is committed to investing in fisheries as a pathway out of poverty and into prosperity for millions of families across Africa, while generating a steady stream of revenues for countries.
He also added that, with commitment to improve fisheries governance and management, and to develop sustainable aquaculture, Africa can make the sector a highly profitable economic enterprise, supporting and catalyzing the economic and social development of the continent.
The World Bank encouraged journalists to spread the word about the urgent need for sustainable fisheries.
It is you the journalists, who are leaning forward and taking risks in reporting on the facts of fishery depletion and wrongdoings. We know this is not always easy for you personally or the media outlets you work for. he said.
2014 NewsGhana.com.gh