WORLD EARTH DAY 2023
Washington, D.C. (October 20, 2022)- EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO), the global organizer of Earth Day and the most prominent recruiter of environmental movements worldwide, announced today the theme for World Earth Day 2023 – “Invest in Our Planet.” Acting as a continuation of this year’s well-received campaign, the theme is focused on engaging governments, institutions, businesses, and the more than 1 billion citizens who participate annually in Earth Day to do their part. Everyone accounted for, and everyone was accountable.
“In 2023, we must unite again in partnership for the planet. Businesses, governments, and civil society are equally responsible for taking action against the climate crisis and lighting the spark to accelerate change toward a green, prosperous, and equitable future. We must join in fighting for the green revolution and future generations’ health. The time is now to “Invest in Our Planet,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG.
Earth Day Network and ASCOA became partners in 2019 and share common goals and objectives regarding community cleanups, the conservation, protection, enhancement, and support of nature and natural resources, contributing to the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity worldwide, and wish to collaborate to further these common goals and objectives within their respective mandates and governing rules and regulations.
ASCOA will join the rest of the world to commemorate this day by carrying out beach cleanup and tree planting to save the ocean from trash and plastic pollution while targeting the Douala coastline and Buea municipality. A total of 200 volunteers will be recruited for this cleanup.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
The inappropriate disposal of plastics in our towns, cities, and coastline is a powerful pollutant in our natural environment. Many people depend on the ocean to provide fresh fish, which is a significant source of income for many houses and an increment in the state’s per capita income. The beautiful beaches in Cameroon catch the attention of many people at home and abroad to invest in for better enhancement, but a pile of marine debris at the coastline stands as a blockade.
However, one of the reasons why SCOA is getting involved with beach cleanup today is to protect the interest of the environment and the ocean.
The deforestation activities in a quest for urbanization in our cities and towns are exposing our local communities to the dangers of global warming, soil erosion, drought, and loss of soil fertility, leading to agricultural degradation. ASCOA is making a particular commitment to reforestation within the city of Buea, where the risk of erosion is at it max.
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To create a safe environment and coastline in Cameroon.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- To create a trash-free line
- To prevent environmental and air pollution
- To reduce the risk of global warming
- To prevent soil erosion
- To create community awareness
WHY IS THIS BEACH CLEANUP IMPORTANT?
- To fight Water pollution in the form of plastic and toxic chemicals that can harm humans by contaminating food and fresh water supplies.
- To save Animals that can easily mistake litter for food, putting marine wildlife at risk of poisoning.
- Participating in a waterway cleanup brings the community and stakeholders together and raises environmental awareness.
- Maintaining clean, healthy beaches and waterways is vital for regions dependent on tourism and water usage.
- To contribute to the 30 million pounds goal set by Team Seas.
PROJECT LOCATION SITE
ABOUT DOUALA TOWN
The city of Douala is the chief port of Cameroon. It is situated on the southeastern part of the Wouri river5 estuary, on the Atlantic, Ocean coast about 130 miles (210km) west of Yaoundé with a population of 4,063,000 as of 20233 and an International Airport.
Douala served as the capital of the German Kameron protectorate from 1884 to 1902 and as the capital of Cameroon from 1940 to 1946; with the mixture of traditional, colonial, and modern architecture, Douala has multiplied since World War II, and it is the most populous city in the republic.
Douala houses breweries, textile factories, palm oil, soap, and food processing plants. It also produces building materials, metalwork, plastics, glass, paper, bicycles, and timber products. Douala deep water port handle most of the country’s overseas trade with a unique installation for handling timber products, banana, gasoline, bauxite, and fishing facilities.
The Wouri area is a water basin where you find all sorts of water, such as rainwater, seawater, and river water. Legend has it that the waters of this town are full of sirens. Regarding weather, Douala has an equatorial climate with four seasons: a big dry season, a big rainy season, a minor dry season, and a small rainy season. (https://www.pak.cm/en/welcome-douala)
ABOUT DOUALA COASTLINE
The latitude of Douala Coastal is 4.061536 N, and the longitude is 9.786072 E. Douala, Coastal Cameroon.
The Douala coastal areas are sandy beaches from the main river Wouri, which flows across the city to create beaches like Bangue, Bonamoussadi (Bonangang), Denver, Akwa Nord, and Bonassama Beach.
Recreation on Douala Beach is a perfect fishing opportunity. There are spots for barbecue right on the beach, and tourists can buy fresh seafood from local fishermen or take beautiful photos in the background of the sea sunset. Also, tourists can spend a night in a tent on the territory of the beach.
(https://1001beach.com/en/africa/cameroon/douala)
WHY DOUALA BEACH?
Over the past years, ASCOA has carried out several cleanup activities to commemorate World Earth Day, World Ocean Day, International coastal cleanup day, and the most recent, Cameroon Beach Cleanup Day. The Cameroon Beach Cleanup Day is an initiative from ASCOA, and the first edition took place on the 21st of January, 2023, at the Limbe Coastline. The Cameroon Beach Cleanup Day aims to ensure that all the different coastlines over Cameroon are kept clean. ASCOA has carried out cleanups on about ten other beaches within the Limbe Coastline, so ASCOA thought it wise to clean up at the Douala coastline to commemorate World Earth Day 2023. By so doing ASCOA will be educating the inhabitants of Douala on the importance of trash-free coastlines and mobilizing them through our activity so they will be able to join ASCOA in the years ahead to celebrate the Cameroon Beach Cleanup Day.
https://ascoa-cm.org/beach-clean-up/cameroon-beach-cleanup-2023/
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING TREES IN THE ENVIRONMENT
The tree planting exercise is going to be done in Buea municipality of the southwest region, which is made up of a total population, estimated to be 700,000 people with indigenes who have been in occupation since 4000 years ago known as the Mokwe people or Bakweri as commonly called, who lives in different villages like Bona Kanda, Bokwango, Bokwai, Bova, to mention a few.
Buea has a freezing temperature due to the presence of Mt. Cameroon, about 50km long, from Southwest to North West of Cameroon, with different species of trees. However, the rapid development of economic activities in this cosmopolitan city has vastly taken down a lot of trees, making some of these areas environmentally exposed to global warming. This is why the Association for Community Awareness (ASCOA), through world earth day, is taking the commitment to do tree planting in the locality of Buea to reduce the effect of global warming and protect the environment from draughts and erosion.
In Buea, step outside your home, and we guarantee you won’t be far from a tree; unless you live in the desert, of course, we’re surrounded by a wide variety of different types of trees such as the Maskurate tress, Pachira aquatica Tree Planted at Catchment in Buea, etc. And while they’re all pretty and wonderful to look at, their importance stems far beyond beauty. The value and purpose of trees are enormous, and their existence is vital for survival. Below are just some of their benefits;
- The environment
Trees help to combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide and removing and storing the carbon while releasing oxygen back into the air.
They also reduce wind speeds and cool the air as they lose moisture and reflect heat upwards from their leaves. It’s estimated that trees can reduce the temperature in a city by up to 7°C.
Other environmental benefits include the fact they help to prevent flooding and soil erosion by absorbing thousands of liters of stormwater.
- Wildlife
From birds and insects to bats and squirrels, trees provide a canopy and a habitat for many wildlife species. But they don’t just act as a home for wildlife; the fruits from trees also provide food for them.
- Our health
Trees help to improve air quality by intercepting and trapping dust and other pollutants from the air. The shade of trees also provides a valuable barrier to harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
But it’s not just our physical health that benefits; our mental health does too. When surrounded by trees or participating in nature-based activities, stress and depression levels can be significantly reduced.
- Our Communities
Trees can bring people together. They can act as a landmark within a neighborhood and encourage pride among people within that community.
Trees and woodland areas can bring people together for educational purposes. They also allow for activities such as walking or bird watching. In addition, they give children somewhere to play and feel a sense of adventure.
Planting trees for our future
So, as you can see, humans, animals, and the environment depend upon trees for survival. Therefore, as deforestation continues, we must return what we’re taking away.
Planting more trees will contribute to global reforestation efforts, restoring lost forests, repairing damaged ecosystems, and mitigating climate change.
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