State of Management of South Africa’s ... - WWF South Africa

STATE OF MANAGEMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MARINE PROTECTED AREAS7.2 DWESA-CWEBE MPA7.2.1 ContextThe Dwesa-Cwebe MPA is situated in the Eastern Cape adjacent to the Dwesa and CwebeNature Reserves. It is located at the break between the Agulhas and Natal inshorebioregions. The length of the shoreline included in the MPA is 14km and consists of rockyplatforms, sandy beaches and the tidal portion of the Mbashe River mouth. The MPAextends six nautical miles offshore and includes subtidal rocky reefs and sandy benthos. TheMPA is an important area for the conservation of large sparid species and contains spawningareas for the threatened white and red steenbras.The local communities and stakeholders were not adequately consulted when the MPA wasproclaimed under the MLRA as a single no take zone. Consequently, the communitiesharbour much animosity towards the authorities as they have been denied access to theirtraditional fishing and invertebrate harvesting areas. In addition tourism activities havereduced in the area due to the prohibition on fishing.The reserve manager for the nature reserves and MPA had recently retired and was notavailable to provide information. The new manager Ntokozo Cele (At Dwesa for less than amonth at the time of the assessment), the Regional manager, Zwai Kostauli, Jan Venter fromECPB Scientific Services and Ronnie Mapukata (field ranger at Dwesa) were consulted.7.2.2 Legal and organisational frameworkThe Dwesa-Cwebe MPA was initially proclaimed as a marine reserve in 1989 under theformer Transkei Government. Fishing from the shore was allowed in some designatedsections in the reserve. The MPA was proclaimed in 2000 under the MLRA and declared inits entirety as a no take zone. No specific regulations have been provided for the MPA.7.2.3 MPA designMPA DESIGN (58%)Critical habitats were included within the boundaries of the MPA and the size and shape ofthe MPA was adequate for sustaining ecological processes and protecting the interior fromedge effects. The entire MPA comprises of one no-take zone which is not adequate fortourism activities and is highly opposed by the local community.Pg 104