{"id":82320,"date":"2025-07-18T18:36:51","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T18:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks"},"modified":"2025-07-18T18:55:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T18:55:57","slug":"gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks","title":{"rendered":"Gambian Conservationist Warns of Deep-Sea Mining Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Kemo Fatty, environmental advocate and founder of Green-Up Gambia, has voiced serious concerns over the country\u2019s recently announced Deep-Sea Mining Project. <\/b><\/p>\n

While acknowledging its potential economic benefits, Fatty warned that without transparency, oversight, and meaningful community involvement, the initiative could bring long-term environmental and social harm.<\/p>\n

Speaking in an exclusive interview held on Tuesday, Fatty described the project\u2019s sudden unveiling and foundation stone ceremony as alarming for the conservation community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe announcement came as a surprise to many of us working in environmental protection,\u201d he said. \u201cDeep-sea mining is not a minor undertaking. It\u2019s a high-impact development that must be approached with caution. My concern is not rejection, but a firm call for transparency and rigorous scrutiny before any further steps are taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fatty revealed that Green-Up Gambia and other key environmental organizations were not consulted during the project\u2019s planning stages, a decision he said weakened public trust and undermined environmental governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s troubling that civil society was excluded. Those of us on the ground bring critical insight. Genuine participation builds better policy and public confidence. Bypassing us only fosters skepticism,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

He stresses that the ocean floor is a delicate and complex ecosystem, warning that once disturbed, the damage is often irreversible. The risks, he noted, include harm to marine biodiversity, disruption of fish migration and breeding patterns, and contamination of seabed sediments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gambia lacks the capacity to monitor offshore industrial activity effectively. We do not yet have the equipment, trained personnel, or legal frameworks to hold mining companies accountable. Until we build those systems, we are not ready for deep-sea mining,\u201d Fatty said.<\/p>\n

He also highlighted the vulnerability of coastal communities already grappling with illegal fishing, climate change, and coastal erosion. Additional disruption from mining, he argued, could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands who depend on the ocean.<\/p>\n

On the issue of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Fatty was critical of what he described as a \u201cbox-ticking exercise\u201d in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn The Gambia, EIAs are often seen as formalities, not real tools for protection. That must change. We need independent, transparent, and enforceable assessments that lead to genuine mitigation and action,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To move forward responsibly, Fatty outlined key recommendations: full public disclosure of project details, robust community engagement, stronger regulatory safeguards, and citizen oversight. He also called for a national conversation on alternative blue economy opportunities, such as sustainable aquaculture and marine tourism.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are at a crossroads,\u201d he concluded. \u201cThe Gambia\u2019s greatest wealth isn\u2019t buried under the seabed it\u2019s in our people, our coastline, our culture, and natural beauty. That\u2019s what must be preserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Kemo Fatty, environmental advocate and founder of Green-Up Gambia, has voiced serious concerns over the country\u2019s recently announced Deep-Sea Mining Project. While acknowledging its potential economic benefits, Fatty warned that without transparency, oversight, and meaningful community involvement, the initiative could bring long-term environmental and social harm. Speaking in an exclusive interview held […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":82319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-82320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nGambian Conservationist Warns of Deep-Sea Mining Risks - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kemo Fatty, environmental advocate and founder of Green-Up Gambia, has voiced serious concerns over the country\u2019s rec ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gambian Conservationist Warns of Deep-Sea Mining Risks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kemo Fatty, environmental advocate and founder of Green-Up Gambia, has voiced serious concerns over the country\u2019s rec ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-18T18:36:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-18T18:55:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/07\/sm_1752852174.010007.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Gambian Conservationist Warns of Deep-Sea Mining Risks\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-18T18:36:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-18T18:55:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks\"},\"wordCount\":459,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/07\/sm_1752852174.010007.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambian-conservationist-warns-of-deep-sea-mining-risks\",\"name\":\"Gambian Conservationist Warns of Deep-Sea Mining Risks - 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