Environmental Affairs and Tourism R Mabudafhasi, Tsitsikamma Community
10 April 2007
The Tsitsikamma area is a special one, with a rugged and beautiful
coastline, which fully deserves protection. Similarly, it is home to a special
people, who want both to conserve the coast but also to access it for their own
benefit. This has not been possible in the past to a large extent, and this is
why we are here today, to report back on what we are doing to address that
situation.
Following years of tension between South African National Parks (SANParks)
and the local communities, consensus has been reached on a number of issues
with regards to the request for limited access. Four areas of the coast within
the Marine Protected Area, adding up to a total of almost 10 kilometres in
length, are currently being considered to be opened up to local anglers to
catch fish for enjoyment and food. This action is being planned to proceed
through the Marine Living Resources Act as a practical experiment over a period
of a year, at which stage it will be reviewed.
This intervention would break new ground, and therefore, in order for the
management plans that will be put in place shortly to be effective, we will all
have to learn to play our parts responsibly. After the development of the
management plan, comes implementation of a system with benefits and
responsibilities. It also would need rules to make it practical. Rules being
considered for the current experiment include such matters as fishing only the
designated fishing areas, fishing only during daylight hours, in taking home
only a limited number of fish per day, and reporting catches to monitors when
leaving the site.
The intervention will involve compromises between conservation and fishing
in order to make it sustainable, but negotiations have been undertaken in good
faith, and we will need to put it into practice also in good faith so that all
can benefit appropriately. We certainly will not allow individuals to spoil it
for others by ignoring the rules, or by not waiting for the system to be put in
place. We all now know that our marine resources are not unlimited, and that
many species are already under severe pressure. The trial will therefore be
designed to offer these species greater protection, for example by having lower
bag limits for various species of reef fish.
Lastly, to make it a success, the intervention must be properly integrated
into the overall management of the coast and the life of the community members.
There must be education of children about marine life, and how to conserve it
as well as how to use it responsibly. It is also planned that local people will
be employed as catch monitors, and those who show aptitude for conservation and
management will encouraged and supported to pursue careers in working in and
managing protected areas.
Tsitsikamma is a National Park, but it is also your National Park for your
benefit and that of your children. Therefore we all have a big responsibility
in making this opening experiment a success, as it will indicate that people
and nature can co-exist and that it was well worth doing now and worth
continuing into the future.
Thank you
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
10 April 2007
