News

7 may 2003 - The beautiful Bolama beach in the West African country of Guinea Bissau may soon turn into a scrapyard for old toxic ships, threatening nature and the lives of local people. The beach is part of the Bijagos Archipelagos, classified as a Biosphere Reserve by United Nations (Unesco). Help to save the Bolama beach! Let the United Nations know they should protect the nature and people of Guinea Bissau.

Now all this is at risk! A planned shipbreaking yard will bring oil and hazardous materials like asbestos to Guinea Bissau, threatening nature and the lives and environment of local people. Spanish shipping companies, presenting the idea as an environmentally sound opportunity for sustainable development, have signed an "intention protocol" with the Government of Guinea Bissau to develop a shipbreaking yard and tax free industrial area in the heart of the nature reserve. Unfortunately, shipbreaking is nowhere near sustainable development for Guinea Bissau. Shipbreaking practices around the world show that it is a very polluting industry. Therefore plans to open up this beach for shipbreaking need to be stopped.

Act now!

You can help to save this beach from becoming a dumpyard of old ships and polluting substances. Please send a message to Unesco now!

This cyberaction is organised by the International Coalition of Friends for Guinea-Bissau. The coalition consists of NOVIB (Oxfam Netherlands), Greenpeace, ICCO (Interchurch Organisation for Development), WWF West Africa Marine Ecoregion (WAMER), Galician Foundation of Environmental Organisations, ACEP (Association for Co-operation between People, Portugal), The Portugese Society for the Study of Birds-Bird Life, FIBA (Fondation Internationale du Banc d'Arguin), BAN (Basel Action Network).