Robben Island Museum celebrated World Fisheries Day by sharing how they are protecting the marine life surrounding the island.
World Fisheries day is celebrated every year on 21 November throughout the world by fishing communities. Robben Island is not a fishing community, however, the coastline is protected, as many indigenous and endangered species inhabit the Islands shoreline.
Two of the critical interventions have been implemented to protect Robben Island’s marine ecosystem; indigenous seabird protection and an anti-poaching unit to tackle abalone poaching. These interventions and the overall conservation of the many species on the Island are managed by Robben Island Museum’s (RIM) environmental management unit in partnership with various organisations.
To oversee the protection indigenous seabird species, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and RIM have deployed dedicated rangers on the ground to monitor seabirds and report threats to management authorities. In October 2018, RIM and SANCOBB strengthened its collaboration by appointing an additional seabird ranger on the Island. Andile Mdluli is the newest member of this partnership and will monitor the health and well-being of seabirds on the Island, intervene if required, and also transfer seabirds that are injured, sick, oiled or abandoned as chicks to the SANCCOB rehabilitation facility in Table View.
To tackle abalone poaching RIM is collaborating with Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to deploy officials on site to monitor illegal activities around Robben Island shoreline waters.
“Our coastline and marine life is one of our most valuable resources,” says Sabelo Madlala, Head of RIM’s Environmental Management unit.
“We are continuously looking to protect our Island’s sensitive environment. The Island’s nearshore waters have been recently proclaimed as Marine Protected Area. One of the key aims of the Robben Island MPA is to protect the foraging habitat of the endangered seabirds that call the island home, the African penguin and bank cormorant,” adds Madlala.
All Robben Island infrastructural development and tourism activities are subjected to intensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies before implementation. Robben Island proximity to the mainland exposes it to seaborne pollution which is always likely to fragment its sensitive breeding habitats. RIM’s efforts to address this challenge includes regular coastal clean-up operations and working with all relevant stakeholders to uproot this challenge
To learn more about RIM’s coastal conservation, please visit their website.
by 