The Sixteen Mile Beach Marine Protected Area is a coastal conservation region in the territorial waters of South Africa, near Saldanha Bay on the Western Cape coast. The MPA is part of the West Coast National Park which is the core component of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve. The beach stretches from Yzerfontein's Main Beach to the start of the West Coast National Park.
History
The MPA was proclaimed by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, (Mohammed Valli Moosa, in Government Gazette No. 21948 of 29 December 2000 in terms section 43 of the Marine Living Resources Act, 18 of 1998, and transferred in 2014 by presidential pronouncement to Section 22A of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 2003
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". This MPA is intended to protect a representative exposed west coast sandy beach habitat.
The general objectives of the West Coast National Park include conservation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, ecological, cultural, historical and scenic resources of the park, and to develop ecotourism and effective co-management. There may be opportunities to contribute to the local economy by tourism and recreation development and job creation through environmental protection infrastructure programmes.
Extent
25 km of shoreline and 107 km2 of inshore ocean are protected.
Boundaries
The extent of the MPA is defined in the Regulation Gazette as between the following boundaries (to WGS 84): Eastern boundary: From the high-water mark in Plankiesbaai at S33°07.106′, E017°58.377′ along the high water mark south-eastwards to Rooipan se Klippe near Yzerfontein at S33°20.006′, E018°09.595′ Southern boundary: From the high water mark at Rooipan se Klippe at S33°20.006′, E018°09.595′ due west to S33°20.006′, E018°08.095′ Western boundary: From S33°20.006′, E018°08.095′ approximately north-west on a straight line to S33°07.107′, E017°55.96′ Northern boundary: From S33°07.107′, E017°55.96′ eastwards to the high-water mark in Plankiesbaai at S33°07.106′, E017°58.377′
Zonation
The MPA is IUCN Category IV, and the whole MPA is a controlled zone.
Management
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, SANParks, which manages the MPA with funding from the SA Government through the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), which is responsible for issuing permits, quotas and law enforcement. A park forum which represents the local communities contributes to management decisions in a formal partnership with SANParks. An authorised management plan exists for the whole park, for 2013–2023, but there is no specific management plan for the MPA.
Use
Commercial line fishing from a boat is permitted, and rock lobster may be caught with a recreational licence, but fishing from the shore is not allowed. Boats are excluded from the inshore area of the MPA. No other extractive use of resources are permitted.
Geography
Climate
The climate of the South-western Cape is markedly different from the rest of South Africa, which is a summer rainfall region, receiving most of its rainfall during the summer months of December to February. The South-western Cape has a Mediterranean type climate, with most of its rainfall during the winter months from June to September.
During the summer the dominant factor determining the weather in the region is a high pressure zone, known as the Atlantic High, located over the South Atlantic ocean to the west of the Cape coast. Winds circulating in an anticlockwise direction from such a system reach the Cape from the south-east, producing periods of up to several days of high winds and mostly clear skies. These winds keep the region relatively cool. Because of its south facing aspect Betty's Bay is exposed to these winds.
Winter in the South-western Cape is characterised by disturbances in the circumpolar westerly winds, resulting in a series of eastward moving depressions. These bring cool cloudy weather and rain from the north west. The south westerly winds over the South Atlantic produce the prevailing south-westerly swell typical of the winter months, which beat on the exposed coastline.