Marine Protected Areas – show your support!
Our oceans are a critical life support system to humanity.:
- The ocean provides a critical source of protein for more than a billion people
- More than 60% of the world’s population lives on or near the coast
- The ocean supports the greatest abundance of life on our planet
- The ocean provides livelihoods, recreation, beauty, wonder, and untapped scientific discovery, with potential for human health, new medications, foods, and more
Despite their critical role, only 0.4% of South Africa’s mainland oceans are currently under formal protection, compared to almost 10% of our terrestrial area! With the growing human pressures from marine mining, energy supply, fishing, aquaculture and tourism, our oceans have never been in greater need of protection.
The South African government has made international commitments to increase MPAs. MPAs are an investment in our shared future: they safeguard ocean habitats to ensure that human activities like fishing, mining, and tourism are sustainable in the long term. As part of government’s Operation Phakisa, 22 new MPAs have been proposed, increasing formal ocean protection to 5% of our exclusive economic zone.
BirdLife South Africa, the Centre for Environmental Rights, I Am Water, the Save Our Seas Foundation and WWF-SA are united in their support for this process. We call on South African citizens who care about the ocean, who want to promote sustainable use of natural resources, and who support government’s move to increase protection of our ocean spaces, to demonstrate their support for the creation of these MPAs and sign this petition.
We, the undersigned, support the declaration of the 22 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Gazette No. 39646, which will lead to the protection of 5% of South Africa’s territorial waters. We commend the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and their partners for taking this important step for conservation. We support the expansion of the “ocean economy” to benefit all South Africans.Updates
May 15, 2016
We just hit one thousand signatures for our marine parks. Call your local representative today and tell them that we demand these twenty two areas be protected immediately.
Reached 1,000 supporters
May 14, 2016
May 12, 2016
We just hit a massive milestone that proves people across the country want real protection for our oceans. Please post this link on your Facebook page today and email your local representative to demand they approve these new marine parks.
May 9, 2016
We hit our first 100 signatures today. Post the link on Facebook right now so we can keep this momentum moving.
Reached 100 supporters
May 7, 2016
496 Comments
Considering only 0.4% of our oceans in South Africa are protected, this will be a landmark step for both sustainable development and conservation in South Africa's marine environment, as well as being an essential step towards protecting our ocean wildlife.
Some areas of our coast are increasing in temperature at around 0.1 °C per decade. Only a network (i.e. enabling connectivity) of parks can accomplish successful conservation outcomes when the species along our coast respond to the rising temperatures by undergoing range shifts.
I fully support the proposed establishment/rezoning of the 22 MPAs as gazetted. This step would be to sacrifice some short-term destructive gain for long-term constructive sustainability. Much like investing money for the future.
These MPAs are critical, both for our people (particularly those who rely on the coasts and oceans for their survival) and for our biodiversity - for which we have signed the Rio Convention and made an international obligation to protect.
Dear DEA I fully support the proposed 5% of our EEZ as MPA's. I hope that we can work towards 10% in the years to come. As South Africa has the 3rd highest biodiversity on the planet, we should be striving to protect our amazing heritage.
Now the 5% protecton needs to 100% protection before there is NOTHING left in our seas!!??
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Marine Protected Areas – show your support!
Our oceans are a critical life support system to humanity.:
- The ocean provides a critical source of protein for more than a billion people
- More than 60% of the world’s population lives on or near the coast
- The ocean supports the greatest abundance of life on our planet
- The ocean provides livelihoods, recreation, beauty, wonder, and untapped scientific discovery, with potential for human health, new medications, foods, and more
Despite their critical role, only 0.4% of South Africa’s mainland oceans are currently under formal protection, compared to almost 10% of our terrestrial area! With the growing human pressures from marine mining, energy supply, fishing, aquaculture and tourism, our oceans have never been in greater need of protection.
The South African government has made international commitments to increase MPAs. MPAs are an investment in our shared future: they safeguard ocean habitats to ensure that human activities like fishing, mining, and tourism are sustainable in the long term. As part of government’s Operation Phakisa, 22 new MPAs have been proposed, increasing formal ocean protection to 5% of our exclusive economic zone.
BirdLife South Africa, the Centre for Environmental Rights, I Am Water, the Save Our Seas Foundation and WWF-SA are united in their support for this process. We call on South African citizens who care about the ocean, who want to promote sustainable use of natural resources, and who support government’s move to increase protection of our ocean spaces, to demonstrate their support for the creation of these MPAs and sign this petition.
We, the undersigned, support the declaration of the 22 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Gazette No. 39646, which will lead to the protection of 5% of South Africa’s territorial waters. We commend the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and their partners for taking this important step for conservation. We support the expansion of the “ocean economy” to benefit all South Africans.Updates
May 15, 2016
We just hit one thousand signatures for our marine parks. Call your local representative today and tell them that we demand these twenty two areas be protected immediately.
Reached 1,000 supporters
May 14, 2016
May 12, 2016
We just hit a massive milestone that proves people across the country want real protection for our oceans. Please post this link on your Facebook page today and email your local representative to demand they approve these new marine parks.
May 9, 2016
We hit our first 100 signatures today. Post the link on Facebook right now so we can keep this momentum moving.
Reached 100 supporters
May 7, 2016
496 Comments
we should be alarmed that over 90% of our coastline has been earmarked for oil and gas exploration - Lets support the creation of ocean refuges so that we have sustainable development on our coastline!!!!!!!
Considering only 0.4% of our oceans in South Africa are protected, this will be a landmark step for both sustainable development and conservation in South Africa's marine environment, as well as being an essential step towards protecting our ocean wildlife.
Some areas of our coast are increasing in temperature at around 0.1 °C per decade. Only a network (i.e. enabling connectivity) of parks can accomplish successful conservation outcomes when the species along our coast respond to the rising temperatures by undergoing range shifts.
I fully support the proposed establishment/rezoning of the 22 MPAs as gazetted. This step would be to sacrifice some short-term destructive gain for long-term constructive sustainability. Much like investing money for the future.
These MPAs are critical, both for our people (particularly those who rely on the coasts and oceans for their survival) and for our biodiversity - for which we have signed the Rio Convention and made an international obligation to protect.
Dear DEA I fully support the proposed 5% of our EEZ as MPA's. I hope that we can work towards 10% in the years to come. As South Africa has the 3rd highest biodiversity on the planet, we should be striving to protect our amazing heritage.
Now the 5% protecton needs to 100% protection before there is NOTHING left in our seas!!??
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we should be alarmed that over 90% of our coastline has been earmarked for oil and gas exploration - Lets support the creation of ocean refuges so that we have sustainable development on our coastline!!!!!!!