Monrovia – The Youth Go Green Network Liberia (YUGNET-Liberia) has conducted a day long beach clean-up exercise to educate Liberians in saving aquatic species in the country.
By Siaway T. Miapue, Contributing Writer
The project entitled “Green Footprints Beach Clean-up Initiative” which was conducted on the Dolphins Beach in Congo Town brought together schools’ administrators, students and climate activists among others.
Speaking to reporters during the exercise, the executive director of YUGNET-Liberia, Ambassador Godsent Wherdaigar said the exercise is meant to educate young people about climate change and how everyone can work together to mitigate or adapt to its effect”.
Ambasador Wherdaigar said “everybody depends on the Marine species to survive and there is a need for Liberians to protect them and where they are living”.
He called on residents along the beach not to see it as a place for dumping dirt; instead it should be treated with care to boost the country’s emerging tourism sector and attract investors.
“The beaches are not toilet sites. The beaches are not dump site. They are not place to be misused. The beaches are very important as they attract investors and are used for recreation centers among others” he said.
He named inadequate awareness as one of the major factors contributing to environmental pollution, and called on the Environmental Protecting Agency (EPA) to assist organizations that are involved with cleaning the environment through training, funding and material support.
Also speaking, the Vice Principal for student’s affairs at the T5 Academy, Michael Johnson frowned on residents living along the beach for not taking care of the area, and called on the Government of Liberia to put security measures in place in protecting beaches across the Country.
Mr. Johnson said “The issue of climate change is vital, and looking around the environment is very dirty, people are using the beaches for illegal mining as well as dumping site which is likely to affect the environment”.
Like others, Matenneh Koisha- one of the participants said “Dirt from the environment that enters the water is not good for the fishes and other aquatic species and there is a need that everybody to get involved in protecting our environment”.
She, at the same time called on youth in the country to join YUGNET-Liberia in making Liberia a better place by cleaning the environment.
Danger to Aquatic Species in Liberia
Major threats to freshwater fishes and other freshwater biodiversity include habitat modification, fragmentation, and destruction; as well as invasive species; overfishing; environmental pollution and forestry practice are major threat to the environment.
Another common practice is illegal sand mining at the beach, which experts have warned if nothing is done to abolished it, would result to severe flood that could lead to loss of lives and damage of properties.