Aliwal Shoal celebrated on MPA Day
The Ocean Festival founder, Russel Symcox, said MPA Day was well-supported by local communities.
Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day is a South African-born event which was celebrated globally recently.
Founder of MPA Day, Dr Judy Mann, said that she was amazed and humbled when she saw via social media the range of organisations involved in this event. People created infographics and videos, organised and ran activities for people of all ages, and planned and hosted online events.
On the South Coast, Ocean Festival hosted an Aliwal Shoal MPA and Hope Spot explore walk, collecting valuable data and conducting research into the condition of the MPA and Hope Spot in partnership with the Oceanographic Research Institute, South African Association for Marine Biological Research and Wild Alliance Africa.
The Ocean Festival founder, Russel Symcox, said MPA Day was well-supported by local communities.
“We were blessed with brilliant conditions; the ocean was alive with so much wildlife, and the whole point was to travel the length of the MPA and learn as much as we could,” he said.
“We were fortunate to have the Durban Metro Coastal Patrol Unit supporting the conservation efforts and representatives from the Saps Search and Rescue Unit and from the NSRI. It’s great to see MPA Day growing into an international event as there’s a need to protect and educate around the MPAs.”
He also mentioned the huge amount of plastic pollution and for the public to get involved in beach clean-ups.
“We hope this event grows year on year.”
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