Page 43 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

SCIENCE

Students on board the Angra Paquena

Bay – from industry to conservation – and working with them to Prof Lombard explains that the reason for choosing this MPA is
come up with management recommendations in order to zone because it is located in a highly significant and unique biodiversity
areas for different activities. area, influenced by powerful physical processes (the Tugela
River and the Agulhas Current), prized for natural resources that
“We partner with Rhodes University’s Professor Rosemary underpin thriving line fishing activities and support small-scale
Dorrington, who holds the SARChI Chair in Marine Natural fishers and rural communities, and for the mineral resources that
Products, and we are now working with resource economists, have attracted significant mining and oil and gas interests.
notably ecological and environmental resource economist
Professor James Blignaut from the University of Stellenbosch, to “We have oceanographers and fish and reef people all working
value marine ecosystem services. together and collaborating with the South African Wild Trust’s
WILDOCEAN programme, in partnership with Oxford University.
“There are so many marine ecosystem services, from the obvious We have funding for 11 master’s students and we were able to
one – fisheries – to the phytoplankton that produce oxygen, select five suitable candidates, all of whom were black – four
to marine tourism, including diving and whale watching, to women and one man – as equity is an important part of the
the cultural activities of diverse groups that value the ocean in programme.
different ways.
“We started this project at the beginning of 2021 and completed
“We are developing a case study in Algoa Bay to show how system our first research cruise off the east coast of South Africa in June
dynamics models can be very effectively used in marine spatial this year on WILDOCEAN’s marine research vessel, the Angra
planning. A PhD candidate, Estee Vermeulen from the Faculty of Pequena. We collected plankton water column samples, as our
Science, focused on the development of these models for the goal is to establish baseline surveys all the way from plankton to
bay; it’s the first time anyone outside of the USA has applied these coral to the top predators, such as sharks. This way, we can go
models specifically to marine spatial planning.” back in a few years’ time and assess how everything is looking
compared to the baseline studies, and this will give us a good idea
Unique biodiversity area with prized marine whether the MPA is making a difference or what further action is
resources required.

The three year NRF ACEP (African Coelacanth Ecosystem “Of course another important element is to ensure that the
Programme) grant awarded to Prof Lombard through the South MPA is protected from exploitation,” says Prof Lombard, “and
African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) is for research in we have funding from the Blue Action Fund to help equip the
the uThukela Marine Protected Area (MPA) between Richards Bay authorities with the personnel and patrol boats to enforce the MPA
and Durban, proclaimed in 2019. regulations.”

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