Cape Town - Table Mountain National Park is in the process of developing a Robben Island Marine Protected Area (MPA) management plan to determine the objectives of the island’s protection and conservation for the next 10 years.
This comes after Robben Island was declared an official MPA in May 2019 to better manage its marine environment, keep marine ecosystems working properly, and to protect the range of species living there.
SANParks was designated as the management authority to oversee marine law enforcement, monitoring and research, administrative functions and educational activities within the marine area and up to the high-water mark on Robben Island.
SANParks said that as part of the review process, a two-day workshop was held with key stakeholders from the greater Cape Town and SANParks staff to set the desired state for the MPA and assist in identifying the important vital attributes, threats and management issues that should be addressed.
TMNP manager Megan Taplin said: “The process of setting a desired state for the MPA and looking at the values and vital attributes of the marine area which are important to conserve is a very important process, and stakeholder input is vital and valuable.”
Taplin said this process was particularly important because of the diversity of users who wished to benefit from the MPA and the great biological and heritage significance of the Robben Island MPA.
Robben Island Museum (RIM) attended the workshop and was confident that it was able to bring forward all matters important for ensuring that the MPA was well managed, with regulations that would be effectively enforced for the next 10 years.
RIM chief heritage officer Tshima Nemaheni said: “The Robben Island MPA legislation is the main buffering mechanism RIM has in deterring negative impacts coming from the sea into the site.
“As mentioned by RIM at the workshop, the strategy should aim to improve response capability to the risks of oil spill and decisively combat illegal activities in the buffer zone.”
Nemaheni said the MPA was rich in both marine biodiversity and submerged heritage assets, with Robben Island being home to numerous species of sea birds – including the endangered African penguins that breed on the island and forage offshore.
“There is an urgent need to adequately protect forage grounds, as this will be critical in rehabilitating the population sizes of endangered sea bird species,” Nemaheni said.