Review of the state of marine protected areas in South Africa

Abstract

The use of marine protected areas (MPAs) in South Africa should be revised in the light of growing problems related to the over-use of marine resources. No consistent policy has been applied to the establishment and management of MPAs. Existing MPAs include marine reserves, restricted areas, single-species restricted areas, National Parks, estuarine protected areas, trawling reserves and offshore islands, declared under a variety of legislation. Marine reserves and restricted areas have been declared under the Sea Fishery Act, but are managed by provincial authorities. The provincial authorities in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape lack the necessary resources for marine management. By contrast, the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service and the National Parks Board are adequately staffed and equipped to provide all the necessary managerial functions in their MPAs. The effectiveness of most MPAs is not assessed and they do not have clearly stated objectives or management plans. MPA boundaries are ...