THE dunes of eMdloti’s Granny’s Pool situated on South Beach were recently rehabilitated. What’s more a greening programme and the erection of marine conservancy signs were also on the agenda, spearheaded by eMdloti Urban Improvement Programme with support from Tongaat Hulett and the Sibaya Coastal Precinct’s Conservation Trust.
The coastal village of eMdloti is the closest neighbouring community to Tongaat Hulett Developments’ Sibaya Coastal Precinct, a 1 000 hectre mixed used development. Dayalan Chetty, Tongaat Hulett Developments’ Development Executive for the Sibaya Coastal Precinct said, “We applaud and are fully behind the important cleaning and greening work that is being done in eMdloti.
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“The communities of Sibaya Coastal Precinct and eMdloti as well as visitors to the area enjoy the boundless beauty of the beaches and protected coastal forests here.”
The UIP work in collaboration with the residents to ensure the protection of eMdloti’s bio-diverse ecology – both marine and forest. eMdloti Village has been declared a Marine Conservancy by the eThekwini Municipality after on-going mussel research project conducted in the area.
The programme is one of six scientific studies being conducted within the conservancy. “These projects are being carried out in the eMdloti Conservancy by O.R.I, Whale Time and UKZN,” said Tracey Simkiss, head of the UIP’s cleaning and greening division.
She added the aim was to compare the populations of rocky shore creatures in undisturbed areas to beaches open to the public. Teams are also looking into the effect of climate change on species found in the conservancy.
SAAMBR CEO at Durban’s uShaka Marine World, Judy Mann-Lang assisted in the development of the educational signs for the areas in which the eco-marine studies are being conducted. These include Monitoring of The Mussel Beds, Conservation of Coastal Forests, Dune Rehabilitation and a Humpback Whale study. Commenting on the erection of the educational signage, Terry-Ann Rens, manager of the UIP said, “We hope that the signs will encourage all beach users to take ownership and become proud of this small but highly effective marine nursery.”
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