Marine Protected Areas

Marine protected areas (MPAs) also known as marine parks, form part of our commitment to protect the natural environment in much the same way that nature reserves and national parks protect examples of terrestrial habitat types.

The application of protected areas in the sea is relatively recent. The first MPA was declared in South Africa only in 1964 (Tsitsikamma). There is still a general perception that marine environments are more resilient than terrestrial environments, and less susceptible to irreversible damage by human activities. This perception is neither appropriate nor entirely correct. Worldwide, fish populations have been heavily depleted by fishing activities. Although these depletions are reversible in theory, the socio-economic realities are preventing the recovery of stocks by resisting cut-backs in fishing effort. Furthermore the oceans are under threat from other activities, including mining, invasive alien species, pollution, boating, coastal development, catchment runoff and uncontrolled tourism. MPAs now form the backbone of South Africa’s marine conservation strategy and are augmented by comprehensive fishery regulations, and controls on pollution, shipping and mining.

There are 21 marine protected areas (MPAs) in South Africa promulgated under national legislation - the Marine Living Resources Act No. 18 of 1998 (MLRA) . The MLRA lists the three objectives of MPAs as (1)the protection of marine life, (2)the facilitation of fisheries management and (3) the reduction of user-conflict.

In South Africa, the management of MPAs and fisheries is controlled by the same policy and legislation. The concept of “no take” is important in South African MPAs. Eight of the 21 MPAs are completely “no take” areas.

The profile of MPAs is considerably lower than that of terrestrial protected areas. This is partly a worldwide phenomenon. Being mostly hidden from view, marine environments have attracted less attention and concern than terrestrial environments. This imbalance is slowly being rectified, as witnessed by new international calls for marine conservation, MPAs and responsible fishing practices.