Month: August 2021

WILDTRUST through their Blue Port project has entered a “plastic neutral” partnership with Teqal, a quality manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging servicing the Cosmetic, Personal Care and Industrial markets. In an effort to be 100% plastic waste neutral, for every kilogram of plastic Teqal converts into packaging, an equal amount of post-consumer plastic waste (PCPW) is collected from the environment and recycled.

The Blue Port Project is an initiative of WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST), with the aim of creating action-based research and the implementation of strategic interventions to reduce plastic waste in the Durban Port and ultimately restore the Durban Bay to its natural functioning state.

Teqal is a plastic manufacturer based in highly successful Dube Tradeport SEZ in KZN. Thanks to funding received from the incredibly supportive Industrial Development Corporation, Teqal are going through a very high growth. They are already active in using recycled content in their products that are also biodegradable. As a company they are trying to find ways to reduce their environmental footprint – and striving to be plastic neutral is certainly a big stride in that direction.  Until the partnership with WILDTRUST, this goal was not going to be easy to achieve.

Rachel Kramer, Blue Port Project Manager said: “This agreement gives WILDOCEANS an opportunity to have sustainable finance streams which allows progression within these projects by increasing the teams’ operations in the port and continuing long term research and exploring different opportunities. The Blue Port Project is a good case study that illustrates how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) partnerships can work. This is a good pilot project to see whether it can be upscaled to different projects and to expand within this project as well,” said Kramer.

WILDTRUST CEO Dr Roelie Kloppers expressed his excitement about the partnership saying that this is an interesting spin on tackling plastic pollution. “Quite often when we talk about recycling, the responsibility always seems to be on the consumer where there is very little responsibility on the producer. So, it’s good to see that producers are taking accountability and investing in projects like this that make the impact on the environment more neutral.”

Director of Teqal, Sean Kirkham said: “The consumer is becoming more educated about the problems linked to plastic pollution and are beginning to push brands to push suppliers to be more environmentally conscious. We are now leading the pack in driving the message of being waste neutral. Government has also played a part in putting legislation in place that lets producers and retail companies know that they are also responsible for the plastic waste that they sell.”

“Plastic is highly recyclable and highly reusable. If we can get to a point where we make sure that the plastic is reused and recycled, we can continue to get the benefits of the solution it provides in packaging – but do it in a way that is sustainable. As a converter of plastic, it is important that we contribute to this initiative,” said Renee Kirkham, CFO of Teqal.

“I wish more people would tap into organisations like the WILDTRUST and do more to help the environment,” said Kirkham. “I would urge everyone – recyclers, converters, retailers and consumers to really look carefully at what it is they’re doing and make sure that their contributions to this sustainable environmental initiative is channelled into areas and organisations like the WILDTRUST.”

Sunday, 1 August marked the first annual MPA Day celebration with a series of well-coordinated events reaching more than a million people across the globe. Organised by an alliance of ocean-conservation partners, MPA Day highlighted the value of these unique areas, not only to the ecosystem, but to the surrounding communities as well.

“Leading the MPA Day Alliance has been the most rewarding thing that I have done for many years,” said Dr Judy Mann, Conservation Strategist at SAAMBR (South African Association for Marine Biological Research). “Our weekly meetings were filled with lively discussions and great ideas that were translated into actions through our incredible team. Despite working without a budget, everyone was committed to achieving the goal of raising South Africans awareness of MPAs. Through these activities, we exceeded my greatest hopes for the day – and 2021 was just the start! I’d like to extend an enormous heartfelt ‘thank-you’ to the team.”

What’s the role of MPAs?

South Africa has 41 MPAs which make up only 5.4% of the ocean and coast around our beautiful country. In the same way that nature and game reserves protect the terrestrial plants and animals, MPAs serve to protect the ocean’s inhabitants, several which are threatened with extinction. MPAs play a significant role in the protection of spawning and nursery areas that allow for resource recovery to counteract rampant overfishing. They provide safe havens for marine life to thrive, maturing into adulthood.

The result of well-managed MPAs is valuable support for adjacent fisheries and assistance in job creation; the facilitation of healthy marine animals; improved ecological resilience to climate change; and the provision of vital information that contributes towards research.

However, this can only be achieved if there’s more awareness about MPAs and the vital role they play. To accomplish this, the MPA Alliance – including SAAMBR, Two Oceans Aquarium, Flow Communications, Olivia Jones Communications, Dyer Island Conservation Trust and WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST) – established MPA Day which consisted of a series of enlightening events.

What happened on MPA Day?

Around 200 people tuned into the MPA Day webinar, with live crossings to four of South Africa’s MPAs. Conservationists discussed the MPA ecosystems, as well as the historical and traditional significance of the areas. Several of the MPAs – including Aliwal Shoal on the KZN South Coast – also hosted various events and activities for local visitors, both new and returning.

uShaka Marine World in Durban and Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town put on some magnificent displays, clothing company AQTIVwear sponsored a clean-up of Mouille Point in the Table Mountain MPA and schools were not forgotten with great interactive lessons with Sodwana Bay Primary pupils. The MPA Day was brought to a close with an interactive Twitter chat (@MPAsSA1) hosted by members of the MPA Day Alliance, with the generous support from a number of important influencers. Using this platform, they discussed MPAs and answered fun questions about the significance of these important ocean ‘game reserves’.

The MPA Day fun continues

To capture the moment, a photography competition is running with the submission deadline extended to 31 August 2021, and the winners will be announced on 24 September, 2021. The competition is open to photographers of all ages and skill levels looking to showcase their talent and win some amazing prizes, including entrance tickets to various attractions, specialist tours, cruises, books and an A1 acrylic print from ORMS. Photographs can be taken in any of the South African MPAs and be submitted in three categories (three photos permitted per category):

1. Scenery: Photos of sunrises, sunsets or other scenic shots, above or below the water.

2. Creatures: Photos of marine and estuary wildlife, big or small, above or below the water.

3. Activities: Photos of friends and family enjoying activities in MPAs such as hiking, surfing, diving and snorkelling (permission must be granted).

Submit entries by clicking on: https://bit.ly/37uOQwe

The Youth4MPAs – in partnership with WILDOCEANS, supported by World Surf League PURE, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Oceans 5 – are bringing together African youth from all walks of life to engage with global marine experts in the first-ever virtual African Youth Summit on 19 and 20 August. The summit seeks to mobilise African youth by encouraging them to take ownership of the global 30×30 MPA target with an African perspective. Register now at www.africanyouthsummit.com.

“MPA Day was really just a way to kickstart an ongoing awareness drive that fosters a lifelong appreciation for our oceans,” said Helen Lockhart, Communications & Sustainability Manager at Two Oceans Aquarium. “The reality is, without our contribution towards ocean conservation, the majority of marine life faces an uncertain future. And without a healthy marine ecosystem, we too face an uncertain future. MPA Day comes at a critical time for future generations and we look forward to more proactive engagements like this!”

And the discussions will continue on social media. Simply follow MPA Day on Facebook: MPASouthAfrica, Twitter: @MPAsSA1 and Instagram: @marineprotectedareassa.

For more information about South Africa’s MPAs, visit https://www.marineprotectedareas.org.za/

WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST announced, 6 months ago, that they had secured a Rapid Action Grant through the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, co-funded by the European Union (EU) EU website. Through this funding, the reserve was set off on a journey to rapidly transform the technology used by the game rangers, boosting the protection of this protected area and its species.

Through this funding, the anti-poaching unit on Somkhanda have been upskilled and trained to use the Vulcan EarthRanger system for their monitoring and patrolling duties. This smart new technology integrates and displays all historical, real-time data, spatial information, and other threats available from the protected area, on a handheld GPS-enabled mobile device. The EarthRanger system empowers the reserve managers and rangers to take immediate, proactive actions to prevent and mitigate threat incidents.

Since this system introduction, the reserve’s security has been rapidly improved, with no black- or white rhino poached in this period. 10 members of the Anti-Poaching Unit have been routinely monitoring black and white rhino, wild dog and lion during patrols and have recorded 100% of data using Earthranger technology.

Meiring Prinsloo, Somkhanda’s Reserve Manager commented, “The support from the IUCN Save our Species African Wildlife initiative has been critical in ensuring reserve integrity and the continued payment of the salaries for the Anti-Poaching Unit. This support has had a very positive spin off as it directly supports over 300 community members from the local community. The new technology has made a huge difference in the unit’s monitoring ability, especially of the black rhino.”

As the world continues to suffer the negative impacts of Covid-19 and decreased international tourism activity, Somkhanda Game Reserve has reported no job losses for anti-poaching personnel. The number of key positions were maintained throughout the reporting period and 100% of patrols are recorded using Earthranger technology, informing 100% of responsive actions. As a result of the grant funding for the introduction of the Vulcan System, poaching incursions decrease by 50% from 20 per month to 10 per month. All the individuals of the listed target species have been observed and recorded on a regular basis and observations have been recorded successfully on the newly introduced Earthranger platform.