Biography
Haidar El Ali is an ecologist, documentary filmmaker and Senegalese government minister. A diver and diving instructor at the beginning of his career, El Ali became a marine biology instructor and a filmmaker. Striving to create awareness of the need to protect the marine environment, he was part of the team that made the film End of the Line, which received several international film festival awards. In addition to his work in diving and film, El Ali has been involved in political activism, fighting for such causes as the cleaning of the seabed and a ban on nylon nets (2011), the launch of the first bank for environmental microcredit (2009), the first large scale campaigns for the reforestation of the mangroves (2006 — present), the rescue of manatees in the Senegal River (2006) and the first protected marine area in Senegal (2004).
Recognised as one of the ‘100 most influential ecologists on the planet’ (Le Monde), El Ali was the president of the environmental protection organisation Dakar Oceanium for a number of years and is now an honorary member. In 2012, he became the Senegalese Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and in 2013, the Senegalese Minister of Fisheries.
This person was part of SB13 Dakar Off-site project - Vive l’Indépendance de l’Eau