Why adopt a beach?
South Africa has a rich, diverse, but sensitive coastline of more than 3 000 km. This is a huge resource but also a great responsibility in which we should all share. Currently our coast and its resources face several threats due to pollution, poaching, 4x4 vehicles in sensitive areas, inappropriate developments, degradation of estuaries etc. The idea behind the Adopt-a-Beach Programme is to encourage groups of people to adopt or help look after a piece of coast in their region and link with others as part of a national project.

 

Who is involved?
There are currently about 200 beaches, rocky shores and estuarine areas around South Africa that have been voluntarily “adopted” by groups that range in size from 5 to 200 people. They are all committed to making some positive contribution to the management, conservation and information sharing about our precious coast.

 

This exciting programme, launched by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism’s Marine and Coastal Management Branch, is being implemented by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA). Participating groups include schools, coastal communities, participants in Coastcare projects like Working for the Coast, Blue Flag beaches, as well as local environmental interest groups.

Adopt-a-Beach is part of the overall Coastcare programme and contributes towards the implementation of the “awareness, education and training” goals of the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa. It does this by providing the opportunity for participants to better develop an understanding of the coastal environment and relevant management principles. This will help ensure that there are more responsible coastal users and better overall coastal management.

 

How are activities guided?
Each participating group has been provided with an easy-to-use handbook (available in four coastal languages) and log sheets, as well as a resource box containing a wide range of items and resource materials, useful for monitoring and learning about coastal issues and having fun on the beach.

 

Groups can decide how they can help solve some of the many problems in the coastal environment like litter, badly planned development and uncontrolled fishing. There is regular support and advice from WESSA and co-operation with municipalities and other authorities. This means that now there is a national, organised opportunity for people to tackle some of these issues

What are groups doing?

Due to the South African coast has many special features and qualities, some of them unique to a specific area, there is a huge range of action topics that go beyond the suggestions in the guide. One group is taking special care of coastal caves, another helping with seabird counts. Some have alerted the police to poaching activities while others have collected tons of plastic. Groups have interviewed locals to find out about the history of their beach, written to the municipality about wastewater pipelines, built giant sand sculptures of whales and documented plants that grow in the coastal zone. A few groups that like maths have drawn the changing profile of their beach as sand moves on and off it, using a cleoscope. Most now know about the currents, water temperature shifts and animals that live on or near their part of the coast. They have helped repair amenities, commented on development proposals, organised outings, but also had a lot of fun.

 

How can you get involved?
Become a volunteer. See details below.