STATE OF MANAGEMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MARINE PROTECTED AREAS Designed by The Media Chilli Front cover image by Thomas P. Peschak Published in November 2014 by WWF-SA – World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), Cape Town, South Africa. Should you wish to reference this report, please do so as follows: WWF is one of the world’s largest and most experienced independent conservation organisations, with over 6 million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. This report is printed on cacoon, produced from 100% recycled fibres. FSC™ Recycled Credit). Published in 2014 by WWF South Africa, Cape Town. © Text WWF 2014 All rights reserved. WWF South Africa Report Series - 2014/Marine/001 page 2 | WWF South Africa Acknowledgements: Prepared by Peter Chadwick (consultant), John Duncan (WWF-SA) and Karen Tunley (consultant) in June 2014, this project was funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) and the Department of Environmental Affairs: – Oceans & Coasts (DEA: O&C). This report was made possible with the input and support of DEA: O&C, WWF-SA and various MPA managers and their teams, as well as business unit managers and regional managers. We would like to say a special thank you to the following individuals: Department of Environmental Affairs: – Oceans & Coasts Xola Mkefe and Siyabonga Dlulisa SANParks Dr Ane Oosthuizen, Pierre Nel, Paul Sieben, Kyle Smith, Owen Govender, Rob Milne, Roget Fox, Andre Riley and Anban Padayachee CapeNature Pierre De Villiers, Mbulelo Jacobs, Alexis Olds, Andri Van Niekerk, Cullam Beatie, Robin Adams, Jean du Plessis, Keith Spencer, Wayne Meyer, Henk Niewoud, Thobani Mbonane, Dr Lauren Waller, Deon Geldenhys, Elbie Cloete, Johan Visage, Lee Saul, Terrence Coller, Johan Burger and Sunet Basson Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency Mzwabantu Kostuali, Jan Venter, Vuyani Mapiya, Gert Barnardt, Mzo Mabaso, Simiselelo Masikane and Moloko Phaho Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife George Nair, Sam Ndlovu, Julia Brown and Londiwe Mbuyisa iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority Andrew Zaloumis and Sizo Sibaya Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality Godfrey Murrel City of Cape Town Jaco Uys, Darryl Colenbrander and Arne Purves Lastly, thank you to Bruce and Judy Mann who both provided valuable inputs during the review process. Citation: Chadwick. P, Duncan. J and Tunley,K. (2014). State of Management of South Africa’s Marine Protected Areas. WWF South Africa Report Series – 2014/Marine/001. State of management of South Africa’s MPAs | page 3 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 ABBREViations 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8 CHAPTER 1 BacKGROUND, CONTEXT AND methods 10 1.1 Why MPAs 10 1.2 The legal and institutional context of MPAs in South Africa 12 1.3 Previous State of MPA assessments 12 1.4 Objectives of this assessment 13 1.5 Data collection 14 1.6 Report structure 15 CHAPTER 2 SOUTH AFRICAN NationaL PARKS 16 2.1 SANParks Overview 16 2.2 West Coast National Park MPA 18 2.3 Table Mountain National Park MPA 25 2.4 Tsitsikamma National Park MPA 32 2.5 Bird Island MPA – Algoa Bay 39 CHAPTER 3 CAPENature 45 3.1 CapeNature Overview 47 3.2 Betty’s Bay MPA 48 3.3 De Hoop MPA 55 3.4 Stilbaai MPA 61 3.5 Goukamma MPA 65-66 3.6 Robberg MPA 70-71 3.7 Overview: CapeNature Islands 75-76 3.8 Bird Island Nature Reserve 78-79 3.9 Dassen Island Nature Reserve 82-83 page 4 | WWF South Africa 3.10 Dyer Island Nature Reserve 86-87 CHAPTER 4 EASTERN CAPE PARKS AND TOURISM AGENCY 91 4.1 Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency Overview 92 4.2 Amathole MPA 93-94 4.3 Dwesa-Cwebe MPA 98-99 4.4 Hluleka MPA 104-105 4.5 Pondoland MPA 109-110 CHAPTER 5 EZEMVELO KWAZULU-NataL 115 5.1 Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Overview 115 5.2 Trafalgar MPA 117 5.3 Aliwal Shoal MPA 122-123 5.4 iSimangaliso Wetland Park MPA 128-129 CHAPTER 6 CITY OF CAPE TOWN 135-136 6.1 City of Cape Town Overview 135-136 6.2 Helderberg MPA 137-138 CHAPTER 7 NELSON MANDELA BAY MunicipaLITY 142-143 7.1 Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Overview 142-143 7.2 Sardinia Bay MPA 145-146 CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSION AND recommendations 151 8.1 Institutional framework 151-152 8.2 MPA management plans 152-153 8.3 Input 153-154 8.4 MPA management processes 154-155 8.5 Conclusion 155-156 REFERENCES 156-157 APPENDICES 159 Appendix 1: Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool METT 159 State of management of South Africa’s MPAs | page 5 ABBREVIATIONS APO Annual plan of operation BRUV Baited remote underwater video CAPEX Capital expenditure CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CDF Conservation development framework CMP Coastal management programme CPUE Catch per unit effort DAFF Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries DEA Department of Environmental Affairs DEA: O&C Department of Environmental Affairs: Branch – Oceans & Coasts DEAT Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (up to 2010) DPW Department of Public Works ECPTA Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EKZNW Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife EMI Environmental Management Inspectors EPWP Extended Public Works Programme FCO Fisheries control officer GN Government Notice IBA Important bird area IDP Integrated Development Plan IMP Integrated Management Plan iWPA iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority KPAs Key Performance Areas MCM Marine and Coastal Management (up to 2009) METT Monitoring effectiveness tracking tool MLRA Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998 MLRF Marine Living Resources Fund MoA Memorandum of Agreement MoU Memorandum of Understanding MPA Marine Protected Area MTEF Medium Term Expenditure Framework NEMA National Environmental Management Act NEM: BA National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act NEM: ICMA National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act NEM: PAA National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act NMBM Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality page 6 | WWF South Africa NMMU Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University NPAES National Protected Area Expansion Strategy NSBA National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment PA Protected area PFMA Public Finance Management Act ROD Record of decision SAEON South African Environmental Observation Network SAHRA South African Heritage Resource Agency SAIAB South African Institute for Aquatic Biology SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute SANCCOB South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds SANParks South African National Parks SAPS South African Police Service SDP Spatial development plan SMP Strategic management plan SSF Small-scale fisheries TMNPMPA Table Mountain National Park MPA WCNP West Coast National Park WHCA World Heritage Convention Act WHS World Heritage Site WWF World Wide Fund for Nature State of management of South Africa’s MPAs | page 7 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are EXECUTIVE SUMMARY increasingly recognised as a key tool in fisheries management and biodiversity conservation, and form the foundation of marine conservation in South Africa. Following previous assessments in 2003 and 2009 of the state of MPA management in South Africa, a repeat assessment was conducted in 2013 to evaluate the progress made through the actions of national and provincial agencies involved in MPA management to identify areas for improvement going forward. Managers from each of the 23 coastal MPAs were interviewed and representatives of each of the seven management authorities completed questionnaires. Each MPA was visited and discussions were held with MPA staff in order to gain a broader perspective of the issues faced. An updated management effectiveness tracking tool (METT) scoring system was used to assess and summarise the information. Overall, the study found that many of the challenges that were identified in 2009 persisted in 2013 indicating the need for further detailed examination of these challenges and the barriers to addressing them effectively. Despite the ongoing challenges, it must be noted that progress has been made in some areas through a combination of enthusiastic and motivated MPA managers and collaborations with relevant institutes and stakeholders. Since the previous assessment in 2009 there has been increased recognition by management authorities of the wide range of management functions that are critical to the successful management of an MPA. However, the extent to which these functions have been carried out has been limited in most cases by inadequate staff numbers. This limitation has been exacerbated by a reduction in the support from fishery control officers (FCOs) that came about as a result of the division in 2009 of Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) into the Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). Human resources are currently focused on enforcement activities in most MPAs. In MPAs where non-compliance is a major issue and there are too few staff members, other important management functions, such as monitoring and education, are often overlooked. Where resources are limited, the enthusiasm and drive of the individual appears to be able to overcome many hurdles. However, demotivated or disinterested managers should be reinvigorated or replaced. The appointment of sufficient staff has been limited by budgets and procurement processes. Although budgets are generally secure over a five-year period, the rate of inflation and increases in running costs are often not considered in the budgeting process. This in effect means that the available budget to achieve management objectives is decreasing year-on-year. Budgetary requirements need to be identified for each MPA and presented in a defendable and motivated manner. Strategic level plans should be available to inform this process and should take into consideration staffing requirements during peak holiday seasons and the rate at which capital equipment and infrastructure will need replacing.