Marine Conservation and Coastal Communities: Who Carries the Costs? A Study of Marine Protected Areas and Their Impact on Traditional Small-scale Fishing Communities in South Africa

Abstract

"This study examines five MPAs in South Africa and spans three of the country's four coastal provinces. Langebaan Lagoon MPA in the West Coast National Park lies approximately 100 km northwest of Cape Town in the Western Cape. The St Lucia MPA and the Maputaland MPA are adjacent to one another within the Greater St Lucia World Heritage Park, recently renamed Simangaliso Park Wetlands Authority, on the northeast coast in Kwazulu Natal. The Tsitsikamma MPA, South Africa's oldest MPA, is located in the Eastern Cape Province, along the southeast coast of the country. The Mkambati Nature Reserve MPA is located along the northeastern part of the Eastern Cape (EC) and forms part of the larger Pondoland MPA."