South African National Parks (SANParks) announced that it is set to commence with a consultative process on Table Mountain National Park’s Robben Island Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Subsequently, the organisation is inviting members of the public to participate and ‘enrich this process’ by engaging with its draft MPA’s Management Plan for the period 2025 to 2034.
The Robben Island MPA is one of three new MPAs within SANParks, which were gazetted by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in May 2019 and came into effect in August that year.
Also read: Robben Island to become Marine Protected Area
According to SANParks, the draft management plan will inform the development and management of the MPA from its current to an envisaged future form. It details the biophysical context, desired state, zonation and programmes at strategic and operational levels.
MPAs increase the conservation footprint of South Africa and contribute to the safeguarding of our oceans, islands and coastal habitats.
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Managed by Table Mountain National Park, the purpose of the Robben Island MPA is six-fold:
- To contribute to a national, regional and global representative system of MPAs by conserving and protecting coastal, island and offshore benthic and pelagic ecosystems in this region, including threatened ecosystem types.
- To conserve and protect the biodiversity and ecological processes associated with these ecosystems.
- To contribute to the conservation and protection of threatened seabird and shorebird species, including African penguins, bank and Cape cormorants.
- To facilitate species management by supporting fisheries recovery and enhanced species abundance in adjacent areas for west coast rock lobster, abalone and other over-exploited species.
- To protect an area of significant cultural heritage, contributing to the tourism value of a South African National Heritage Site and World Heritage Site.
- To protect and provide an appropriate environment for research and monitoring, and to promote and contribute to environmental education.
As part of the engagement process, SANParks announced that three public information sessions (two in-person and one virtual) will be held in mid-February with relevant stakeholders, authorities, interested and affected parties, as well as members of the public.
‘During the information sessions, participants will have the opportunity to provide input/comment on the draft Robben Island MPA Management Plan which was drafted after workshops with stakeholders and SANParks staff last year,’ said SANParks.
‘SANParks will soon publish the arrangements fore the public meetings and relevant contact details,’ the organisation added.
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Cape Town man swims with dolphins on 169th Robben Island crossing
Picture: Charles O’Rear / Getty Images
