MARINE RESERVES - Marine Protected Areas in KwaZulu-Natal:
KwaZulu-Natal has three Marine Reserves:
The Maputaland and St Lucia Marine Reserves are linked to each other to form a continuous protected area stretching 150 km from the Mozambique border southwards to Cape Vidal and 3 nautical miles out to sea.  

They are component areas of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park which has the recognition of being a globally important conservation site. As such it has been designated a World Heritage Site.In addition the two marine reserves together are recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

These reserves are well known for their extensive golden beaches, clear water and the most southern coral reefs off the coast of Africa. The area is a nesting site for loggerhead and leatherback turtles.

A spectacular feature of the reserves is their backdrop of tall, forest-clad coastal dunes. Public access to the reserves is via the resorts of Sodwana Bay and Cape Vidal. These are registered ski-boat launching sites. Visitor use in the area includes scuba diving on the coral reefs, and fishing for bill-fish and other pelagic game fish. Shore angling is popular and the beaches and rock pools are used by holiday-makers relaxing in the sun and warm water. Some core areas are designated as sanctuaries where access is limited and no extraction of fish or other marine life is permitted.

The popular Two-mile Reef off Sodwana is visited by 80 000 scuba divers each year. This reef is 12 to 25 metres deep and here the divers experience the profusion of colours, shapes and textures of the coral ecosystem. Diving is offered by several private dive companies who have the concession to operate within the protected area. There has been the suggestion ( by KZN Wildlife and the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative) that protected area should be extended southwards to Cape St Lucia. This would protect the full coastline that is adjacent to the terrestrial conservation area. At the same time the seaward boundary would be extended further offshore so that the full continental shelf area is included in the protected area. Another exciting conservation development is the proposal to create a Transfrontier Marine Conservation Area jointly with Mozambique which would extend from Inhaca Island off Maputo, to Cape St Lucia.

The Trafalgar Marine Reserve is a tiny area extending for only 6 km along the KwaZulu-Natal south Coast and 500 metres offshore. Part of it is adjacent to the Mpenjati Nature Reserve, and the two together form a pocket-handkerchief sized unit preserving sandy seabed, seaweed covered rock reefs, intertidal rocks, sandy beach, coastal fore-dunes, dune forest, estuary, salt marsh, freshwater wetland containing the “palmiet” sedge and ilala palm grassland. No other protected area in KwaZulu-Natal has such a diversity of habitats in such a small area.

Access to the reserve is via the village of Trafalgar or on foot through the Mpenjati Reserve. It offers a peaceful enclave in the busy South Coast. A feature of the reserve is the fossilised Cretaceous trees which are embedded in the rocks. These can best be seen at low tide in the intertidal rocks near the Trafalgar access.

This reserve may be incorporated into the proposed “Pondoland “ Marine Protected Area which would extend from southern KwaZulu-Natal into the northern part of the Eastern Cape. This is still in the concept phase. It would conserve a portion of a poorly protected marine habitat as well as the reef fish.

We must consider the marine reserves in their context of the full marine environment of KwaZulu-Natal. In KwaZulu-Natal our reef fish stocks are heavily over-fished. Fishing controls such as bag limits and fish size limits are not alleviating this over-exploitation. Limiting fishing in Marine Protected Areas is the most effective mechanism we have to look after threatened fish populations. Our marine reserves act as refugia for breeding stocks of several of the heavily impacted fish species.

In addition to the marine protected areas, KZN Wildlife is the custodian of several Estuarine Protected Areas. These protect estuaries which are important nurseries for fish, crabs and prawns.