Chapter 8 - A View on South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Coast: Stressors and Coastal Management

Abstract

The KwaZulu-Natal (KWZ) coast of South Africa hosts some of the finest and most pristine beaches in the world. Tourism has developed in recent years along with rapid urbanization, industrialization, and settlement of the human population near this coast. The existence of numerous ports and the industrial hub of this province exert tremendous changes in the natural existence of beaches. The data on geochemical metal concentration serve as one of the key tools to identify the quality and current pollution status of the beaches. One such geochemical study is statutory for the coastal tourist beaches of KZN, South Africa. Sediment samples were collected from intertidal regions of major tourist beaches in the southern and northern parts of KZN. They were analyzed to identify the occurrence of possible anthropogenic sources and the present natural geochemical indicators that act as a pointer for beach quality assessment. Among the various contaminants, trace metals are of great concern due to their abundance, persistence, and bioaccumulating nature. The beach sediment samples were analyzed for acid leachable trace metals that replicate the intensity and sources of pollution in the study area. The metal concentrations along the coastal beaches of KWZ suggest that the concentration of metals is mainly attributed to the natural source rock composition and the regions near major ports are significantly affected by the external inputs. The marine environments of KWZ need to be regularly monitored in terms of pollution and effectively managed through an integrated coastal management act.