{"id":4103,"date":"2024-09-19T17:26:22","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T17:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/natioradefenders.org\/?p=4103"},"modified":"2025-01-14T06:55:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T06:55:41","slug":"gamal-mouktar-le-pharaon-de-lile-heureuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/natioradefenders.org\/en\/gamal-mouktar-le-pharaon-de-lile-heureuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Gamal Mouktar \u2013 The Pharaoh of the Happy Island (Nosy Faly)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cFrom now on, nothing will stop me from defending the ocean, especially when I\u2019m starting to see that the results of my efforts are no longer invisible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t Gamal, a courageous fisherman from Nosy Faly, in the Ambanja District, belonging to the Diana region, is known for his great devotion to marine conservation that he has done for over ten years. He is an active member of the Locally Managed Marine Area Manongalaza and the FUP-BATAN or \u201cFederation of United Fishermen from Baie d\u2019Ambaro, Tsimipaika, Ampasindava and Nosy-Be'', which is primarily responsible for alerting authorities criminal acts towards natural marine resources. Gamal is proud to be a part of such an organization and he loves his job. He joyfully told:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cI loved spending my holidays in our countryside when I was just a kid. I think that my love for nature started at that moment and it kept growing since then. Now I am particularly passionate about marine ecosystems, I am putting my own life in danger just to protect them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cI am not protecting the ocean itself, I am protecting every living species that depend on it so that our descendants can also inherit them. Marine species are treasures and I can see that they are dangerously decreasing. I am not only talking about the species number, but also the quality of their habitat. If we let everyone do what they want, the situation will worsen day by day, and it will go on and on until we will have nothing left to give our children.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Gamal explains that the ocean does not belong to anyone, but everyone has the right to enjoy the products it has to offer. It is a common richness, it belongs to the local communities, the fishermen and public establishments. He stated:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cEveryone can go fishing in the sea or in the mangroves, but we just can\u2019t overdo it anymore, that\u2019s why the patrollers exist everywhere nowadays. Honestly, it is a tough job. You don\u2019t only need to love the ocean to do it, you need a lot of courage and boldness. You have to face criminals and they are often carrying weapons such as guns, big knives or stones. But that doesn\u2019t stop patrollers from doing their job. Ever since we exist, marine ecosystems are getting better day by day and our work pleases people. We, the oceans defenders, are well-known and really appreciated, the locals always praise us for our great job. Honestly, it is satisfying and encouraging. From now on, nothing will stop me from defending the ocean, especially when I\u2019m starting to see that the results of my efforts are no longer invisible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t Gamal does not protect a species in particular, he prioritizes the ones that the government classifies as most endangered. In addition, he always refers to the laws of the community stated in the \u201cdina\u201d. He proudly told a captivating story about how they influenced the government to adopt a new regional decree.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cIt happened in 2003. In the Diana region, there was a time when fishermen made their living mainly from mackerel. The problem is that these species are very fragile and migrate very quickly to other areas when theirs is slightly modified. So we delimited the area where the mackerels are to protect them and prevent them from moving. This measure was very successful and became part of the dina, then it became a regional decree. I think this law is no longer relevant, but it should be reinstated because the resulting consequences were very positive.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u201cI have to admit, being a patroller isn't easy at all. Apart from the dangers of encountering ocean criminals, we're short of a lot of equipment. These include speedboats and small necessities like binoculars and cameras. And that's not all. There are very few of us. I'm sure that during several patrols, different criminal acts take place simultaneously, but in different areas. Since there aren't enough of us, plus the fact that we don't have a speedboat, we can only arrest criminals who have the misfortune to be in our way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t \u201cThe most memorable stories are those that include encounters with criminals. One time, when we were out on patrol, we actually encountered some criminals. They were particularly dangerous, doing everything to escape, and ended up dumping a 20-liter can of gasoline on our boat, which caught fire. Of course, they were able to escape as we were too busy saving our own skins. Many of us were seriously injured that day.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t \u201cFirst of all, we need more patrollers and more speedboats so we can cover more spaces at once. Then we need more equipment such as binoculars and cameras, as I already mentioned. The more and better our equipment, the more criminals will fear us and the less they will act. In addition to all this, laws to protect ocean defenders should be set in place. Last but not least, we need financing, because the lack of money is a real barrier for us at the moment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t \u201cWe need more patrollers, but the dangers of the job prevent people from becoming like us. That's why we need more support than ever, especially when it comes to safety. What's more, even if we're motivated to do a good job, we can't do it effectively because we're short of equipment. NGOs are doing their best to help us, but it's not enough. And lastly, written laws should be applied, not just engraved and kept in documents.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tWhen Gamal was asked the reason why he keeps protecting marine ecosystems, he answered:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
Gamal was asked about the main problems he encounters in his job as a patroller. He replied:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Again, Gamal was asked to recount an interesting anecdote that occurred during his career. His response was very interesting:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
Given these problems, Gamal explained what they needed to be safer and more efficient while doing their job:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
And lastly, in response to the request \u201cgive a message to the world\u201d, Gamal replied:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t