Residents of Simon’s Town and environmental activists have raised concerns over a planned ‘underwater explosive exercise’ by the South African Navy.
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On 15 January 2024, the navy issued a coastal warning stating that an underwater explosive exercise would take place between 22 January to 1 February near Seaforth in Simon’s Town.
Residents spoke out against the exercise, raising concerns over the potential impact on marine life and, in particular, the effect it might have on the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
The African penguin is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red Data list of threatened species. The species is endemic to South Africa and Namibia, and its population is currently critically low, potentially becoming functionally extinct by 2035.
As per the Daily Maverick, the demolition range area was gazetted for the navy’s use more than 60 years ago and it is still used to train navy divers.
‘Sanccob is engaging with stakeholders on the matter, and we share concerns regarding the noise implications on endangered African penguins at the Simon’s Town colony,’ says Nick Stander, the head of conservation at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob).
He adds that the organisation is conducting ongoing bioacoustics research to better understand the implications of noise on seabirds under and above water.
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According to Commander Theo Mabina, acting senior staff officer of naval public relations, the exercise will prepare and train divers for some of their responsibilities. This training includes clearing harbour entrances, underwater canals, beach landings and any other underwater demolition jobs.
‘At all times, the South African Navy should maintain a capable force ready to respond to any hostile circumstance, which could include economic sabotage situations in which sea mines are put in the country’s major ports, necessitating the use of navy divers,’ says Mabina.
‘As a result, training and force preparation are critical components of members’ competency and certification. This is what the organisation has been doing since its inception, as required by the Constitution and Defence Act.’
The training exercise will reportedly take place in a designated and charted ‘Shallow Water Demolitions Range Military Practice Area’, which is typically used for training.
‘The range’s limit for underwater demolitions is 5kg, which has been in effect since its inception in the 1980s. This training will last only one day, between January 22 and February 1, 2024. As a norm, the SA Navy does and will always send navigational warnings on these and other related activities.’
The navy did not respond to the Daily Maverick’s questions about whether an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done or whether the potential harm of this activity on the penguin colony and other marine life had been considered.
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According to BirdLife South Africa (the former South African Ornithological Society), the colony at Boulders Beach is one of seven large remaining colonies in the country. ‘Given the Endangered status of this species, this colony and the surrounding marine habitat is viewed as a priority area for African Penguin conservation.’
‘The colony at Boulders also supports a thriving ecotourism sector and is one of the most sought-after sites for visitors to Cape Town.’
‘Our research in Algoa Bay in collaboration with Nelson Mandela University, the University of Paris-Sacláy and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) has shown that African Penguins are very sensitive to underwater noise, and they are known to avoid areas with high noise levels; for example, places where seismic surveys are being conducted.’
‘Intense noise from explosions and other intensive sources of marine noise can have negative physical and behavioural impacts on penguins and other marine animals, such as whales and dolphins.’
‘There is also the possibility of penguins (and other marine animals) being injured (through acoustic trauma and barotrauma) or killed by the underwater explosions. We are also worried about the impact of these explosions on marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, which are highly sensitive to noise and use sound to communicate.’
‘We are especially concerned that, despite similar activities having taken place over many years, to our knowledge, no monitoring of the impacts on penguins or other marine animals has thus far taken place.’
‘BirdLife South Africa encourages constructive dialogue between marine scientists and environmental personnel from the South African Navy to review the navy protocols for these exercises and align these to effective means of avoiding adverse harm to marine animals.’
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Picture: Chance Brown / Unsplash