Addo Marine Protected Area (MPA)

Algoa Bay dolphins © Jean Tresfon

The new Addo Marine Protected Area (MPA) has been proposed by the Minister of Environmental Affairs on the 3rd of February of this year, together with another 21 other MPAs in South Africa.

Marine Protected Areas are crucial for healthy marine ecosystems. They are beneficial for the recovery of exploited fish stocks, ensuring the sustainable exploitation of our marine resources, hence jobs and food security. They also offer safe havens for many species and top predators' populations.

Algoa Bay is home to more than half of the world African penguin population. Their population crashed by 70% in the last 10 years, and they need this MPA. Algoa Bay also hosts beautiful reefs, the largest pods of bottlenose dolphins in the world and hundreds of whales coming to give birth here every year.

You can show your support for this MPA by completing the attached template letter and sending it to MPARegs@environment.gov.za before the end of April.

A public participation meeting, open to all, is planned on the 17th of March at 10 am in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Reception Room at the City Hall (Port Elizabeth) to discuss the draft regulations for the MPA (file available for download below)

Make a plan to pop your email off to support the creation of the MPA, and get the word out as well. More the merrier when it comes to supporting great initiatives that'll preserve our special bay.

To make it even easier, below is a letter you can download and just add your name to - then email it off. Easy peasy.

mpa_support_letter.docx
File Size:	15 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

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draft_regulations_for_addo_mpa.pdf
File Size:	401 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Proposed area of Addo MPA