and why they are Important
This is definitely a proven way to help protect our wonderful ocean and marine life for the benefit of people and nature.
What is a Marine Protected Area?
Like a nature reserve but in the ocean, it is an area of coastline or ocean that is specially protected with limits put into place in these specific areas.
The IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature) gives a global definition of MPA’s:
“A clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated, and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.”
Marine Protected Areas include marine parks, nature reserves, and locally managed marine areas that protect reefs, seagrass beds, shipwrecks, archaeological sites, tidal lagoons, mudflats, saltmarshes, rock platforms, underwater areas on the coast, and the seabed in deep water, as well as open water. In South Africa, MPAs are declared through the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act.
There are many species that benefit from MPAs.
Cape cormorants (Phalacrocorax capensis) Photo: Madelein Wolfaardt
Why are Marine Protected Areas needed?
There has been heavy fishing and poaching over the years, therefore MPA’s allow ecosystems, plants, and creatures living in these ecosystems to recover and provide a safe place in which fish can breed undisturbed.
Marine Protected Areas are also there to help protect marine ecosystems that are threatened by human activity such as overfishing, protect underwater archaeological sites, shipwrecks, and other historically important places.
They help marine ecosystems and local communities by protecting mangrove forests and coral reefs along a coastline. They provide healthy habitats for marine life and they also strengthen the shoreline against erosion.
Reefs and kelp forests are some of the very important habitats that are being protected.
Photo: Madelein Wolfaardt
More about Marine Protected Areas in SA
In South Africa, there are 42 MPA’s scattered along our beautiful coast and covering 5% of our national coastal waters. Marine Protected Areas or sections of it are divided into 2 major zones with limitations on the human activities that may take place in them. The two zones are Restricted Areas (no-take zones) where fishing is strictly prohibited and Controlled Areas where some activities such as spearfishing may be allowed with proper permissions.
Online atlas of South Africa’s MPAs
by the Government of SA and SANBI
Marine Protected Areas are also described as “Wilderness Areas” or “Sanctuary Areas”, which are Restricted Areas that forbid all economic activity, except for some low-impact eco-tourism.
Some of the benefits of Marine Protected Areas
- It is important to support and strengthen underwater habitats against the effects of global climate change and changing ocean temperatures, therefore focusing on protecting an area and not only specific species can provide resilience to the ecosystem.
- Protects areas that have cultural importance so they can be enjoyed by future generations.
- Creates opportunities for education and research.
- Protects important habitats and species and helps them to recover.
- Provides potential for recreation and tourism to grow.
- It supports fisheries by providing safe spaces for commercially important fish species to recover.
Protected colony of African Penguins in Boulders Beach, False Bay has become a major tourist attraction.
Photo: Madelein Wolfaardt
Who manages MPAs?
All South African MPA’s are managed by the Government through the Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries. MPA’s are mostly attached to existing Nature Reserves and the managing authorities (for example, City of Cape Town, SANParks, CapeNature, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and Nelson Mandela Bay Metro) of those reserves then take responsibility for those MPA’s too.
The future of MPAs
The South African Cabinet granted permission to declare a revised network of 20 new MPAs in October 2018 and took effect on 1 August 2019. This has expanded the protection of South Africa’s mainland ocean territory to 5%.
South Africa is working towards the Ocean Economy and Sustainability Goals laid out by the United Nations, and part of that is the effort to protect 10% of our ocean.
We protect what we love, join the movement!
Monet Bruwer
Images supplied by @sealife_madeleinwolf
www.madeleinwolf.co.za
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