ISimangaliso Marine Protected Area


The iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area is a coastal and offshore marine protected area in KwaZulu-Natal from the South Africa-Mozambique border in the north to Cape St Lucia lighthouse in the south.

History

The origins of the MPA were established in 1998.
Two existing coastal MPAs, the Maputaland MPA and the St Lucia MPA were combined and a large offshore restricted zone, the iSimangaliso Offshore Marine Protected Area, added in 2019 to become the iSimangaliso MPA.

Purpose

A marine protected area is defined by the IUCN as "A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values".
The offshore extension is intended for the protection of deep water ecosystems and to secure the habitat and foraging areas of endangered Leatherback turtles and coelacanths.

Extent

The length of the protected shoreline is 145 km, and the area of protected ocean is 443 km2
The additional offshore controlled area of makes this the largest MPA in the South African network.

Boundaries

The boundaries of the MPA are:
The Maputaland and St Lucia Marine Reserves form a continuous protected area stretching 150 km from the Mozambique border to Cape Vidal for 3 nautical miles out to sea. These are now part of the iSimangaliso MPA.

Inshore zonation

The inshore zones lie between the high water mark and low water mark, except the controlled pelagic area which extends 100 m seawards of the high water mark.
iSimangaliso inshore sanctuary zone 1:
iSimangaliso inshore controlled pelagic zone 1:
iSimangaliso inshore sanctuary zone 2:
iSimangaliso inshore controlled pelagic zone 2:
iSimangaliso inshore sanctuary zone 3:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Pelagic Zone 3
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Zone 1:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Pelagic Zone 4:
iSimangaliso Inshore Wilderness Zone 1:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Pelagic Zone 5:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Zone 2:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Pelagic Zone 6:
iSimangaliso Inshore Sanctuary Zone 4:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Pelagic Zone 7:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Zone 3:
iSimangaliso Inshore Controlled Pelagic Zone 8:
iSimangaliso Inshore Sanctuary Zone 5:
The offshore zones are bounded inshore by the low water mark and offshore by a line parallel to the low water mark at a distance of three nautical miles to seaward.
iSimangaliso offshore sanctuary zone 1:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled pelagic zone 1:
iSimangaliso offshore sanctuary zone 2:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled pelagic zone 2:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled zone 1:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled pelagic zone 3
iSimangaliso offshore wilderness zone 1:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled pelagic zone 4:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled zone 2:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled pelagic zone 5:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled zone 3:
iSimangaliso offshore controlled pelagic zone 6:
The offshore extension area from 3 nautical miles seaward of the low water mark to the offshore boundaries of the MPA.
iSimangaliso offshore restricted zone 1:
The marine protected areas of South Africa are the responsibility of the national government, which has management agreements with a variety of MPA management authorities, in this case, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, which manages the MPA with funding from the SA Government through the Department of Environmental Affairs.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is responsible for issuing permits, quotas and law enforcement.

Use

Activities requiring a permit

Fishing

The game and bait fish that be caught in the controlled-pelagic zone of the MPA are in the following families, and all species in these families may be caught.
Pelagic gamefish species:
Pelagic baitfish species:
Named dive sites
Some of the dive sites are so close to each other that the available resolution of position does not distinguish between them.

Geography

Ecology

The MPA is in the tropical Delagoa ecoregion in the far north of kwaZulu-Natal
Four major habitats exist in the sea in this region, distinguished by the nature of the substrate. The substrate, or base material, is important in that it provides a base to which an organism can anchor itself, which is vitally important for those organisms which need to stay in one particular kind of place. Rocky shores and reefs provide a firm fixed substrate for the attachment of plants and animals, as do reef building corals. Sandy beaches and sedimentary bottoms are a relatively unstable substrate and cannot anchor many of the benthic organisms. Finally there is open water, above the substrate and clear of the kelp forest, where the organisms must drift or swim. Mixed habitats are also frequently found, which are a combination of those mentioned above. There are no estuarine habitats in the MPA, but several are immediately adjacent.
Rocky shores and reefs
There are rocky reefs and mixed rocky and sandy bottoms. For many marine organisms the substrate is another type of marine organism, and it is common for several layers to co-exist.
The type of rock of the reef is of some importance, as it influences the range of possibilities for the local topography, which in turn influences the range of habitats provided, and therefore the diversity of inhabitants. Sandstone and other sedimentary rocks erode and weather very differently, and depending on the direction of dip and strike, and steepness of the dip, may produce reefs which are relatively flat to very high profile and full of small crevices. These features may be at varying angles to the shoreline and wave fronts. There are fewer large holes, tunnels and crevices in sandstone reefs, but often many deep but low near-horizontal crevices.
Coral reefs
Sandy beaches and sedimentary bottoms
Sedimentary bottoms at first glance appear to be fairly barren areas, as they lack the stability to support many of the spectacular reef based species, and the variety of large organisms is relatively low. The sediment is continually being moved around by wave action, to a greater or lesser degree depending on weather conditions and exposure of the area. This means that sessile organisms must be specifically adapted to areas of relatively loose substrate to thrive in them, and the variety of species found on a sandy or gravel bottom will depend on all these factors. Sedimentary bottoms have one important compensation for their instability, animals can burrow into the sediment and move up and down within its layers, which can provide feeding opportunities and protection from predation. Other species can dig themselves holes in which to shelter, or may feed by filtering water drawn through the tunnel, or by extending body parts adapted to this function into the water above the sand.
The open sea

Marine species diversity

Animals

The beaches of the MPA are a nesting site for loggerhead and leatherback turtles.

Seaweeds

Endemism

The MPA is in the tropical Delagoa ecoregion in the north of kwaZulu-Natal, which extends from Cape Vidal northwards into Mozambique. There are some species endemic to South Africa along this coastline.

Alien invasive species

Threats

Slipways and harbours in the MPA

There are no harbours or slipways. Beach launches through the surf are standard procedure for fishing and dive boats.