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

STATE OF MANAGEMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MARINE PROTECTED AREASooooooonshore compliance operations;offshore compliance operations;night compliance operations;vehicles;diving and snorkelling gear, andadministrative functions.INFRASTRUCTUREThis section took into account the opinion of managers, the maintenance ofinfrastructure and the adequacy of the current state of visitor facilities, access points,boat launch site facilities, offices, education centres and staff accommodation.BUDGETThis section took into account the extent to which critical management needs werecovered and the security of continued funding.The following management processes were scored and discussed:BOUNDARY DEMARCATIONThe boundary and zone markers and the signs indicating these are essential so toensure that resource users are aware of what regulations apply in the different areasand are able to comply. The presence and adequacy of signs, beacons or fences wasconsidered.PATROL AND ENFORCEMENTThe implementation of enforcement mechanisms and the consistency and the extentof patrols and enforcement activities was assessed.MONITORING AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENTThe extent to which monitoring and research programmes had been implemented toevaluate management effectiveness was assessed. The evaluation of managementeffectiveness involves the assessment of three main components; the biophysicalaspects; the socio-economic factors, which involves the measuring of people’sperceptions, resource use patterns, benefit distribution and welfare; and governanceaspects, which looks at the appropriateness of management systems and processes(Pomeroy et al. 2004 and Hocking et al. 2000). Evaluating management effectivenessthus requires biological assessments, socio-economic studies and governanceassessments aimed at assessing whether the MPA objectives are being met.PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESSEducation and awareness campaigns aimed at creating public support forconservation and compliance are essential for MPA management. Educationprogrammes and the target audiences, as well as the availability of interpretativematerials such as brochures and signs, were considered.Pg 17