State of the Bay Report 2010-Final - Anchor Environmental

Anchor Environmental
Figure 4.4. Composite aerial photo of Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon taken in 2007. (Source
Department of Surveys and Mapping). Note expansion in residential settlements particularly
around the town of Langebaan.
Data on population growth in the town of Saldanha and Langebaan Lagoon are available
from the 1996 census and 2001 census. The total population of Saldanha Bay increased from 16 820
in 1996 to 21 636 in 2001, with a growth rate of 5.73%/yr. The total population in Langebaan
Lagoon increased from 2 735 to 4 272 between 1996 and 2001, with a growth rate of 7.02%/yr
(Table 4.2). The human population in Saldanha Bay is thus expanding rapidly which has been
attributed to the in-migration of people from surrounding municipalities in search of real or
perceived jobs (IDP 2006 – 2011). It is projected that by 2020 Saldanha and Langebaan will have a
total human population of 77 006 and 22 312 respectively (Table 4.3.). This will place increasing
pressure on the marine environment and the health of the Bay through increased demand for
resources, trampling of the shore and coastal environments, increased municipal (sewage) and
household discharges (which are ultimately disposed of in Saldanha Bay) and increased storm water
runoff due to expansion of tarred and concreted areas.
Urban development around Langebaan Lagoon has encroached right up to the coastal
margin, leaving little or no coastal buffer zone (Figure 4.5 and Figure 4.6). Allowing an urban core to
extend to the waters’ edge places the marine environment under considerable stress due to
trampling and habitat loss. It also increases the risks of erosion due to removal of vegetation and
State of the Bay 2010: Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon 46