IF you missed out on last year’s activities, you’ve got plenty of time to prepare for the second annual Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day celebrations, officially taking place on Monday, 1 August.
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What is an MPA?
An MPA is an area of coastline or ocean that is specially protected for the benefit of people and nature. Considered the “game reserves of the sea”, conservation of these areas is critical to the health of the oceans and, ultimately, the planet.
What are the benefits of MPASs?
There are so many reasons MPAs need ongoing protection and support, but here’s a look at the top 10 reasons you’ll want to get behind the movement this weekend.
1. Fishing
MPAs provide nursery areas for fish to spawn and grow to the correct size, which restocks depleted fish numbers and improves the fishing opportunities for local anglers.
2. Job creation
It’s vital that we start creating jobs that support sustainable practices and MPAs are just that. In addition to improving possibilities for commercial fishermen, MPAs create jobs in the form of tour guides related to various marine activities.
3. Coastal protection
A healthy shoreline means better protection for communities and infrastructure located in the vicinity when it comes to natural disasters. MPAs also safeguard the economic and social well-being of coastal communities.
4. Climate change resilience
The stress of climate change will result in devastation and destruction, but MPAs create much more resilient ecosystems to maintain genetic diversity for species adaptation.
5. Tourism
MPAs bring with them a wealth of ocean-related activities for visitors, including scuba diving, boating, animal viewing and more.
6. Education
Online learning is great, but there’s nothing better than getting youngsters out to MPAs – natural outdoor classrooms – that instruct on the ecological importance of coastlines. They also assist in ongoing research, forming living laboratories for scientists.
7. Change monitor
MPAs provide an indication of what a healthy ecosystem looks like which can be measured against unprotected areas to determine change and inform policy.
8. Health benefits
Beyond the well-being benefits of spending time in nature, MPAs are used for discovering medically relevant substances that have been used for fighting diseases such as cancer.
9. Heritage
There is a lot of cultural and historical significance in MPAs for many South Africans. They are rich archaeological sites, traditional fishing areas which support age-old cultural practices, and allow communities to continue with the historical subsistence practices that maintain their cultural heritage.
10. Sustainable development
MPAs help the country move towards achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which include reducing marine pollution, sustainable management and the regulation of fishing.
Where are local MPAs?
Zululand has one of the most well-known MPAs – iSimangaliso, which is also a World Heritage Site. The original site was declared in the 1970s to protect the nesting grounds of leatherback and loggerhead turtles, as well as the beautiful coral reefs. The offshore expansion was proclaimed in 2019, which protects the homes of the most accessible coelacanth population on the planet.
How can you celebrate MPA Day?
· A Twitter chat on MPA Day @MPAsSA1 at 6pm using the hashtags #MPADay #LetsTalkMPAs #MPA #MarineProtectedArea.
· Passionate scientists and conservationists will hold celebrations on the shores of several of South Africa’s MPAs in the weekend leading up to MPA Day (30-31 July). If you are lucky to live close to an MPA, why not join them? Contact mpadaysa@gmail.com for more information.
· There will be a BIOBLITZ on the weekend 30 to 31 July with iNaturalist.
· Enter the 2022 MPA Photo Competition to highlight the 41 South African Marine Protected Areas. More information is available on www.squarespace.com
· The MPA Day webinar which welcomes leading marine experts who will share interesting facts about their research in MPAs at 7pm at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UTAiAZAUTUyuSNU4bkCqLA.
To find out more or join the discussions, check out the social media pages: Instagram @marineprotectedareassa, Twitter @MPAsSA1 or Facebook Marine Protected Areas SA (@MPASouthAfrica). For more information about MPAs, visit www.marineprotectedareas.org.za. Hashtags #MPADay #LetsTalkMPAs #MPAs #MarineProtectedArea
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