KEY POINTS
- South Africa secures a court order to protect African Penguins.
- New no-take zones are designated around key breeding colonies.
- Conservation groups emphasize the need for ongoing monitoring and action.
BirdLife South Africa and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) celebrated a historic victory following a six-year campaign to conserve and safeguard South Africa’s critically endangered African Penguin. An important victory in the fight to rescue the species was achieved on Monday when a court settlement agreement was formally ordered.
Conservation groups win court order for African Penguin protection
BirdLife South Africa, Sanccob, and commercial sardine and anchovy purse-seine fishermen heard the court’s order when the settlement was delivered before the Pretoria High Court. The decision creates no-take areas for the commercial sardine and anchovy fisheries around six important coastal breeding colonies for African Penguins. The NGOs claim that these six restrictions will aid in the recovery of the endangered species by providing feeding places for penguins in the Algoa Bay, southern Cape, and west coast regions.
The directive comes after Minister Dr. Deon George of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) recently announced that an in-principle agreement had been reached. According to the court judgment, the DFFE has two weeks to change the permission requirements for commercial sardine and anchovy fishermen in order to guarantee that these closures are carried out. For the following ten years, the DFFE will renew the permits on a yearly basis.
Government and industry work together to ensure penguin survival
According to BirdLife South Africa and Sanccob, the 10-year term ends in 2035, when scientists believe the African Penguin will go extinct in the wild.
The Biodiversity Law Centre’s executive director, Kate Handley, described the order as a major step in resolving the long-running dispute between industry and conservation. “This is an important step to safeguard our ocean ecosystem and the African penguin for future generations,” she stated.
According to Iol, Nicky Stander the head of conservation at Sanccob, underlined the importance of ongoing oversight and adherence to the directive, pointing out that the African Penguin is subject to numerous and continuous threats. Dr. Alistair McInnes of BirdLife emphasized the value of science-based conservation initiatives for seabirds and ocean health.
Dr. George highlighted the cooperation between fishing sector and conservation organizations and hailed the court order as a major accomplishment. “This is a triumph for conservation and sustainable development,” he stated.
