LUANDA, Angola- Africa’s vast coastline stretching over 30,000km and its expansive maritime zones totaling approximately 13 million square kilometers present a wealth of opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development.
However, the utilization of these resources comes with significant challenges, including threats to environmental sustainability and aquatic biodiversity.
In response, the African Union (AU) has devised the Africa Blue Economy Strategy to guide member states in harnessing these resources effectively while ensuring long-term sustainability.
Despite Angola’s significant economic contributions from sectors like oil, gas, and tourism, these industries have posed substantial threats to environmental integrity, particularly along its 1,650-kilometer coastline and rich continental shelf.
To address these challenges, a national stakeholder consultative meeting was organised by AU-IBAR in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the National Directorate of Aquaculture, of Angola.
The meeting took place from May 9th to 11th, 2024, in Luanda, Angola.
The meeting’s primary objective was to create a comprehensive plan and enhance the regulations in Angola to promote environmental sustainability and protect aquatic biodiversity.
This initiative sought to address the negative effects of marine and coastal tourism, as well as oil and gas exploration, on the aquatic ecosystems of the country.
The meeting was organised as a component of the project “Conserving Aquatic Biodiversity in African Blue Economy,” which is being supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
The primary objective is to improve the policy environments, regulatory frameworks, and institutional capacities of AU Member States to ensure the sustainable utilisation and conservation of aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems.
The workshop had the goal of increasing public knowledge about important concerns and effects of coastal and marine tourism, as well as oil and gas exploration, on aquatic biodiversity and the environment.
It further sought to create a comprehensive plan to promote environmental sustainability and protect aquatic biodiversity on a national level as well as develop regulatory and policy guidelines to ensure sustainable mining, oil, and gas exploration in Angola.
Officials from a range of Angolan ministries, academic institutions, and international organisations attended the workshop.
