Editor
The remote stretch of beach that runs from Pumula Beach launch site south towards Big Fisherman/Aloe’s is a thriving part of our local ecosystem, thanks to the scarcity of human activity. Pumula Beach is home to numerous pairs of nesting birds such as plovers, kingfish and cranes and regularly get visits from buck, otters and other wildlife.
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The local fauna and flora was thriving in the beginning of lockdown and then with the announcement of the fishing ban being lifted with limitations on travel and accommodation, our local piece of Eden has turned into an illegal camping ground.
With limited road access to the shoreline, there aren’t many eyes on the beach which has been an invitation for out of town visitors to set up camp every weekend. This activity is devastating for the eco-system.
These camping ‘fishermen’ cut and burn bush, consume alcohol in public, make multiple open fires, urinate and defecate on the beach and leave with a trail of litter behind them. Besides the destruction, no-one is monitoring the blatant over-fishing. Are you even a licensed fisherman, bro? If we allow our masks to silence us, who will be the voice for our wildlife?
AMY DIPPENAAR
Pumula local
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