new marine protected areas announced in Africa - 生態環境討論

Durban, South Africa – The governments of South Africa and Mozambique
announced several new commitments to protect their marine environments at a
World Parks Congress marine event hosted by WWF last night.
The four new marine protected areas (MPAs) announced total more than
8,000km2 and include mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, and important areas
for hundreds of fish species.

杜班 南非

南非和莫三比克政府在由WWF所舉辦的世界國家公園會議上
宣佈了幾個新的協議以保護南非的海洋環境
四個新的海洋保護區(MPA) 涵蓋了超過8000平方公里的面積
其中包括了紅樹林 珊瑚礁 河口 和其他重要的地區

South Africa will proclaim three new MPAs later this year, including the
Cape Peninsula MPA, which will include several no-take zones on both sides of
the biologically rich Cape Peninsula, and a 900km2 MPA along the Pondoland
coastline. In addition, the Aliwal Shoal, which has long been a popular site
for scuba divers, will be protected to rebuild its reef fish populations and
to regulate the diving industry. The government also announced its intention
to declare two additional MPAs currently in early stages of development.

The government of Mozambique announced its immediate intention to protect the
important Zambezi Delta, a 6,700km2 zone that includes the second-most
important mangrove system on the East African coast. Minister of Tourism
Dr.Fernando Sumbana Junior also announced Mozambique’s commitment to
establishing new MPAs in the northern coastal provinces of Nampula and Cabo
Delgado, as well as the southern coastal province of Maputo.

Both countries also pledged their support to establishing a trans-frontier
marine protected area from the Maputo Special Reserve in Mozambique over the
borders of South Africa down to the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park.

“These announcements demonstrate the tremendous commitment both South Africa
and Mozambique have made to protecting their rich marine resources,” said
Dr Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, Director of WWF’s Africa and Madagascar Programme.
“Together with Kenya and Tanzania, these countries are establishing a regional
network of marine protected areas that will protect coastal biodiversity and
help alleviate pressure on the declining fish stocks of Eastern Africa.”

The announcements came during an event to celebrate the success and global
leadership of the countries of East Africa in protecting its marine resources.
In the past four years alone, WWF has worked together with the governments of
Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa to more than double the
protected areas coverage along the coast.

“Less than 1 per cent of the world’s oceans are protected, compared to nearly
12 per cent of land areas,” said Dr Simon Cripps, Director of WWF’s
Endangered Seas Programme. “At a time when marine resources are under
greater threat than ever, East Africa is setting an example for the rest of
the world of what can be done to protect its marine and coastal
environments.”

For more information:
Peter Bryant
Communications Manager, Endangered Seas Programme
Tel: +41 79 477 3560
E-mail: [email protected]

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現在沒時間 改天再來翻 =P

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Think, talk, feel.
And life will be different.

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