Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot ? highlighting our world…
August 23, 2014 by dyertrust
Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot highlighting our world…
The Overstrand region is built on a rich and diverse marine environment. Many of the small towns started off as sleepy little fishermans villages. Nothing much has changed, except the size of our towns, with eco tourism replacing much of the fishing in the area. Combined these two industries supplies the majority of jobs in the Overstrand
Sylvia Earle is a world-renown marine conservationist and National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence. She has expressed a wish to ignite public support for a global network of marine protected areas, or Hope Spots, that are critical to the health of our oceans. Mission Blue is an ocean community hub that seeks to make good on Sylvias wish by elevating public awareness about critical ocean issues, and by inspiring support for organizations, projects and scientific expeditions that make a positive difference for the ocean.
Plans to declare the Overstrand as a Hope Spot was initiated early in 2014, and a feasibility study to gauge the viablilty and value of such a Hope Spot declaration was funded by Wilfred Chivell from Marine Dynamics and Pierre De Villiers from Cape Nature.
This feasibility study highlighted the significance of the Overstrand rich Biodiversity and Heritagewhilst emphasizing the need to for management protocol to be put into place to involve the local communities to promote sustainable and responsible tourism to our area.
So far, fifty Hope Spots have been declared worldwide. And now the Overstrand will join these rankshighlighting the importance of conserving the biodiversity of this area for future generations, whilst utilizing the environment sustainably for the enrichment of the local communities.
In December 2014, Sylvia will visit South Africa to inaugurate the first six Hope Spots in this country. Overstrand, or the Cape Whale Coast, is a prime Hope Spot candidate. The Hope Spot initiative in South African is being led by the Sustainable Seas Trust, and various NGOs, Governmental Organizations, local businesses and individuals have bought into this project and a driving it to success.
