Cape Town - With Tourism Month under way, MEC Anton Bredell is encouraging the public to check out the contribution CapeNature reserves are making towards eco-tourism and conservation, particularly of the endangered African Penguin.
Bredell heads Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.
This was during his visit to CapeNature’s Stony Point Nature Reserve yesterday, home to a colony of endangered African Penguins which are experiencing an extreme decline in population.
CapeNature briefed him on their conservation work with this colony in the historic Waaygat Whaling Station, which landed up to 300 whales a year in the early 1900s.
“In the past, nature was exploited for economic gain through whaling at Waaygat. Today, we are supporting our economy by protecting wildlife at the same site. September is recognised as Tourism Month, and I want to invite people to find their way to one of the fantastic CapeNature reserves in the Western Cape where nature combined with tourism offers the perfect escape,” Bredell said.
Head of conservation at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds’ (Sanccob), Nicky Stander, added that the African Penguin played a significant role in South Africa’s eco-tourism.
“In the Western Cape, there are tourist attractions at the Simon’s Town colony, which includes Boulders in the Table Mountain National Park, and the Stony Point colony in Betty’s Bay.
“Economic benefits associated with these land-based colonies include income generated through entrance fees, job provision at the colonies as well as other benefits to surrounding areas (like restaurants, accommodation, transport services),” Stander said.
CapeNature marine and coasts’ manager Pierre de Villiers said, “CapeNature contributes to eco-tourism across the province and our reserves. In some cases we do focus on endangered species such as the African Penguin, but we ensure that kind of engagement between human and animal interaction is done on a sustainable basis.”
De Villiers said the overall African penguin population showed a steady decline, however, the population at Stony Point has had a fairly even size over the past five years.
South African National Parks (SANParks) marine biologist, Alison Kock, said: “South Africa’s colonies are the last hope for this species globally, and we have a duty of responsibility and care.”
Bredell also encouraged the public to make use of CapeNature’s Access Week promotion, which runs from September 20 to September 27, wherein several of its reserves can be visited free of charge.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), released a draft review of the 2013 African Penguin Biodiversity Management Plan in July to address emerging threats to the African penguin.
“The African penguin is Africa’s only extant penguin and is endemic to both Namibia and South Africa. This once most abundant South African seabird suffered a massive reduction from over one million pairs in the 1920s to present population numbers of just more than 10400 pairs in 2021,” the department said.