Rezoning of Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area

[Toko]

DEA, SANParks and the Tsitsikamma Angling Forum have reached a settlement agreement with the Friends of the Tsitsikamma Association, to stop the pilot recreational angling project in the Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area.

PDF here:

courtjudment_ontsitsikammamarineprotectedarea2016.pdf

(286.84 KiB) Downloaded 374 times

[Toko]

This stops only the pilot protect, not the ongoing plans of re-zonation The draft regulations, which propose to open 20% of the park to recreational angling, are still open for comment until February 1. And then .....

[Lisbeth]

To re-zone an area which is a protected area must (theoretically) be very difficult as it must be part of a law passed by parliament and who knows what else or....

[Richprins]

Rezoning can be done by SANParks with the stroke of a pen, Lis...has happened in KNP and Table Mountain...no EIA or Parliament needed, just ministerial approval...

Thanks for that, Toks!

As can be seen, it was settled beforehand, and they pitched up to deliver the message to court...some hefty legal costs for SP, can't see the "angling association" paying anything...

[Lisbeth]

Rezoning can be done by SANParks with the stroke of a pen, Lis...has happened in KNP and Table Mountain...no EIA or Parliament needed, just ministerial approval...

is it legal For sure it is arrogant

[Toko]

http://oxpeckers.org/2016/01/open-lette ... kamma-mpa/

[Lisbeth]

Why do the local communities not start to produce, finding or inventing jobs as poor people are doing all over the world instead of waiting for the government to look after them?

In India I have seen some interesting examples of the above

[Richprins]

After Oxpeckers published articles on the opening of the Tsitsikamma protected area to fishing, a marine scientist sent us an open letter addressed to the Minister explaining why this is a bad idea




Dear Minister,

I write to urge you to reconsider the recently published draft Regulations for the Management of the Tsitsikamma National Park Marine Protected Area. Many scientists working for your department (Department of Environmental Affairs), or for institutions affiliated with DEA, are concerned about the proposed regulations, yet are not allowed to provide public comment.

I am one of them. I remain anonymous for fear of losing my job.

Unlike past decision makers, we now have the scientific information and it is straightforward: our valuable marine resources, and the rich services they provide to society, will continue to erode without a substantial network of marine protected areas (MPAs), closed to all forms of exploitation. The science as well as national and international conservation targets are explicit: we need MORE marine protection, not less.

I urge you to look at the recent study by *Edgar et al. (2014), which was published in Nature, the most prestigious science journal worldwide. That study, which included South African scientists, investigated the fish populations inside and outside 87 MPAs around the world.

Their findings are clear: to be effective, MPAs need at least four out of five requirements in place: 1. no-take (i.e. no fishing), 2. well enforced, 3. old (10 years or more), 4. large and 5. isolated from heavily fished areas.

Tsitsikamma MPA was one of the few “successful” examples included in this study. The park currently meets four of the five criteria. Your proposed re-zoning of this MPA, to open four substantial stretches of coastline to fishing by local communities, will compromise the efficacy of this world-leading MPA.

From the perspective of organisms living on or near the shore, the four proposed fishing zones will break up this well-protected, large MPA into five smaller, less effective MPAs.

There are real concerns and challenges regarding the benefits to local communities of this MPA. But to carve up the oldest (and one of the most effective) MPAs in Africa into five coastal stretches, so that a select group of people (based on their address) can have access to recreational fishing, cannot be rationally justified.

I have spoken to the marine science community and they have confirmed that no scientific consultation or planning has gone into the proposed changes to the park. SA has an array of institutions with the expertise to solve this in the correct, accountable and transparent way.

Please do not exclude the scientists from such important decisions.

Yours sincerely,

A concerned marine scientist

[Richprins]

From page 1....this is NOT recreational angling...a smokescreen!


Registered Anglers may only fish from the shore, using a rod and reel or handline. No fishing may take place from a vessel in the Marine Protected Area (MPA).

Q: Which bag-limits will apply?

A:The following recreational bag limits shall apply when fishing in the TCCZ 1-4:

A reduced recreational cumulative bag limit of 3 fish in total per person per day shall apply to those fish species which have an individual recreational bag limit of less than 10;
A cumulative bag limit of 10 fish in total per person per day shall apply to fish species for which there is no individual recreational bag limit or they have an individual recreational bag limit of 10 or more;
Sharks and rays (Elasmobranchs), Red Steenbras (Petrus rupestris) and White Steenbras (Lithognathus lithognathus) are a prohibited species, have a bag limit of zero (0) and may not be fished for in the Marine Protected Area; and
The reduced cumulative bag limits in sub-regulations (5)(a) and (b) are subject to the individual recreational bag limits and no individual fish species may be caught in excess of the individual recreational bag limits for that species.
Harvesting of bait is allowed for use at fishing sites subject to the registered Tsitsikamma angler being in possession of a valid recreational bait collecting permit issued in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act. The daily bag limit for bait organisms shall be half the recreational bag limit and odd numbers shall be rounded up. No person shall collect any bait organism from below the low-water mark, and bait collection shall only take place from the shore.

Q:Who may fish should the area be open for fishing?

A:A registered Tsitsikamma Angler who resides in a community located between Covie and The Bloukrans River within 8 kilometres or less directly north of the Tsitsikamma MPA, and any community within the Koukamma Local Municipality.

[Richprins]

The Kou-Kamma Municipality is a local municipality in South Africa. It is situated in the southwest corner of the Cacadu District Municipality along the Indian Ocean coastline, in the southwestern sector of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. To the west lies the Western Cape Province. Kou-Kamma also borders the Baviaans Local Municipality in the north and the Kouga Local Municipality to the east. The geographical area of the Municipality is 12,540 square kilometres. Its name is a blend of the names of the Kouga (Kou-) and Tsitsikamma (-Kamma) mountains, which in turn were named after the rivers Kouga and Tsitsikamma.

The municipality is a relatively poor area with high unemployment and low levels of literacy. Settlements tend to be scattered, which has posed challenges to the provision of infrastructure and basic services such as water, sanitation, and electricity.

The Kou-Kamma Municipality is composed of two distinct regions: the coastal belt (referred to as the Tsitsikamma or the Western Coastal Zone, which includes settlements such as Coldstream, Storms River and Clarkson), and the inland area of the Langkloof (including settlements such as Kareedouw, Joubertina and Louterwater). The two areas are separated by the Tsitsikamma Mountains.

The nature of the two areas differs vastly. The Coastal Zone is characterised by a diverse and fast-growing economy driven by tourism and agriculture, a fast-growing population linked to the economic opportunities, a good water supply, and a wealth of holiday destinations and indigenous forests.

In contrast, employment in the Langkloof is characterised by seasonal agriculture with high labour requirements. The area has greater challenges in terms of sufficient water supply, with additional pressure due to a high population growth related to migrant labour.


Wikipedia