The thrill of watching a whale up close or schools of dolphins frolicking in an ocean are much sought after experiences today, boosting the demand for tours that provide people the opportunity to see these marine animals in their natural habitats. But becoming a major tourist drawcard has also exposed cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and their environs to risks and challenges.
Two years ago Kenya banned the use, manufacture and sale of environmentally harmful single-use plastic carrier bags. This year during the commemoration of the World Environment Day, President Uhuru Kenyatta banned the use of single-use plastics in protected areas which covers national parks, forests, and beaches.
Sources on land blamed for most ocean plastic, but ships may be a bigger problem than thought
Early in the morning, the port of Barcelona is shrouded in darkness and the fishing vessel Bona Mar 2 smells of fried lamb’s liver and onion. It is what Ousmane Tehior, 49, is preparing for breakfast. A seasoned sailor, he has been fishing since he was a child in Senegal.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has raised concerned over increasing ship pollution in the sea, putting marine life at heightened risk.
An eternal source of wonder and awe, the world's oceans hold the key to all life on Earth, covering 70 percent of the planet, having produced in the course of history half of the world's oxygen and supplying protein for four in every ten of the world's people.
- State of the oceans: southern African cyclones and droughts are just a taste of things to come
- 3 ways we are making an impact on plastic pollution
- AFRICA: Ocean pollution could knock fish stocks by 40%
- The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a big problem in more ways than one
- Repairing ecosystems is costly, but doing nothing is criminal