Communities dependent on harvesting mangrove oysters vulnerable to climate change
An interview with researcher Alex Pounds of the Institute of Aquaculture who is part of a small team funded by Innovate UK working to understand the issues faced by women oyster harvesters in the Sherbro River Estuary in Southern Province, Sierra Leone. Alex explains both the potential impact of climate change on the oysters and mangroves where they grow and the implications for the value chain which supplies growing urban populations, and livelihoods of the women involved. She also provides insights into how some of the value chain activities themselves contribute to climate change and hence the need for significant innovation in this sector.