Page 42 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

SCIENCE

Sustaining our marine resources

through spatial planning

We have to work out how to share our oceans between the mounting number of stakeholders
in a manner that values and conserves our rich marine resources.

The year 2020 was an incredibly successful one for Professor
Mandy Lombard. She received a Research Excellence award from
the Vice Chancellor, was given a B2 NRF rating, her SARChI Chair
in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) was renewed for a further five Urgent protection for our
years, her NRF Communities of Practice grant for MSP in Algoa
Bay was also renewed for a further two years, she was awarded the sharks and rays
ACEP (African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme) grant to work
in the newly proclaimed uThukela Banks Marine Protected Area, With funding from the Leonardo DiCaprio
and she was asked by the Nairobi Convention to write the marine Foundation, the SARChI Chair is partnering with
spatial planning strategy for the Western Indian Ocean. WILDOCEANS to campaign for marine protected
areas (MPAs) for sharks and rays. These top
“This recognition is very valuable to me; it gives my projects predators are being decimated by fisheries; if they
sustainability and my postgraduate students continuity and are wiped out, the whole marine ecosystem is
security,” says Prof Lombard. threatened. “We are working to bring about South
African legislation to protect them as much as
Over the next five years her goal is to complete her current possible,” says Prof Lombard. “The project started
Chair’s projects, make sure the research is written up and in August 2020 and ends in April 2022. We will
published and that all her students graduate and have their provide recommendations for additional MPAs to
papers published. add to those in the current portfolio, which make
up only 5% of our continental marine area.”
Prof Lombard explains that the Chair applies a transdisciplinary and
trans-institutional systems approach to marine spatial planning,
looking at all the different sectors that use or have a stake in Algoa

“ ... the Chair applies a transdisciplinary

and trans-institutional systems approach

to marine spatial planning, looking at all

the different sectors that use or have a

stake in Algoa Bay ... “

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