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Socio-economics - a livelihood through ecological aqua-cultures
In
East Africa radical changes are taking place in society
and ways of living. Poverty makes people move from the inner country to
the coasts, because they regard the sea as a free resource which can be
used by everyone. These people don’t have a traditional relationship to
the sea and therefore have very limited knowledge of how the sea and
the coast can be used in a responsible and sustainable way. Due to
poverty and the increasing demand for fish, destructive fishing methods
are being used such as dynamite fishing. Also fine-meshed fishing nets
come into play. Furthermore, living corals are being exploited for
their use as construction materials; mangroves are being cut for
their use as firewood, and wildlife such as living corals is collected from the reefs to
be sold as tourist souvenirs.
Without
a socio-economical plan it is very probably that the vicious circle of
poverty, growth of population and destruction of the environment will
have very negative consequences. The solution consists in learning from the
traditional knowledge of the fishermen who have been living at the
coast for generations. They need to be support in their traditional and
environmentally sustainable fishing methods. There need to be campaigns for the people
who come from the inland, teaching them about the negative consequences
of their practices and offering them alternative ways of income.
Further know-how needs to be developed how the growing demand for food supplies can be guaranteed in an ecologically sustainable way.
The placement will take
place in a project which has the goal to provide the population at the
South coast of Zanzibar with an income, making them work in environmentally
friendly aquacultures. Part of this project is the cultivation of
seaweed, an activity which has been introduced to the
island only in 1989, but which today is the livelihood of some 30,000
people. Zanzibar produces around 15,000 tons of seewead anhydrous mass,
which amounts to a trade volume of 20% of Zanzibar’s exports. Further
research includes socio-economical studies about environmentally
friendly fish and pearl farming, and simulations of the social and economical
effects of coastal changes, particularly of coastal erosion.
Info box:
Place: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Duration: upon prior consultation
Special qualification
required: Yes
Costs: free of charge (trouble-free package for € 500
is optional)
Accommodation: Not included
Meals: Not
included
Included: Placement in the project; if you opt for the
trouble-free package the whole range of services which is part of the
trouble-free package is included
Not included: Travel, health
insurance, visa, work permit
Book this placement
now!
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