2011 Libyan revolution: chaos & opportunity

Following the revolution in 2011, the social climate within Libya drastically changed  - from one of a welfare-minded, poorly-controlled state, into an era of disregard and self-preservation: a period in which the standard of authority has little meaning to what people can and can't do. The new state government has plenty of trouble keeping up with the regular demands of governance, and one of the many, and newer, post-revolution issues that has been neglected is the preservation of Libyan wildlife and nature, particularly that of the country's marine biology. Having always been susceptible to pollution and litter, the Libyan coastline and offshore has been suffering greatly as of late, post-revolution. Another issue that is not being addressed or regulated is the act of fishing with explosives - a behavior that unfortunately has increased recently, and obviously destroys maritime environment.

On the other hand, there was a flourishing of civil engagement - previously outlawed - resulting in a huge civil initiative movement in Libya. Thousands of Libyans are now empowered to tackle problems they see in their country, such as the pollution and destruction of the environment. The Libyan Society for the Protection of Marine Biology is one of those groups that has grown organically - a pure volunteer effort, without any outside funding or support. 

The Libyan Society for the Protection of Marine Biology

The work done by the Libyan Society for the Protection of Marine Biology is work that no one else is doing in that region. As a group of volunteers, they do have a passion for the natural biology of their home, and they love to share with everybody the beauty of the environment in which they live - but at the same time, these volunteers look after the livelihoods of many families within their area, as a number of people are dependent on what they can produce from the sea. They do a lot of clean-up, and they take note of irregularities they find in the sea, and do their best to propagate good ethical treatment and appreciation of one’s environment, through volunteering and social media.

A practical need of the Libyan Society for the Protection of Marine Biology is to work with the appropriate equipment. What this campaign proposes is to raise $3,500 (USD) to purchase two cameras, camera housing, an underwater strobe light, and other gear. (Funds will cover insurance and shipping costs as well.) Because of the low integrity of the cameras used by the volunteers at the current time, not only is the quality of the captured footage below-par, but the cameras prevent the volunteers from diving more than a few meters below the surface.

To learn more about this organization (and to check out more pictures!), check out their facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AljmytAllybytLhmaytAlahyaAlbhryt

Who I am 

My name is Rashid Kadura, I am a 22 year-old Libyan-American Muslim, and in my humble opinion, the true strength of a country and its people is the education and civil society that impact that country, and not the politics or companies that exist therein. If you believe that as well, and are interested in helping out your Muslim brothers and sisters across the world, and care about the environment and developing sustainable communities, please donate what you can to this organization.