Media Release: Garden Route coastline and estuaries protected as the Wild Coast falters

For immediate release
07 April 2025

“Via the Garden Route Estuaries Forum and the Garden Route Marine and Coastal Committee (MCC) encompassing all layers of governmental authorities and mandated entities including SANParks, Cape Nature Conservation (CNC) and inclusive of all civil conservation bodies an effective monitoring system guarding the regional coastline and estuaries has been established, ” says Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) and MCC Chairperson.

The functioning of these Forums are vital in order to ensure and maintain a high level of oversight preventing invaluable natural infrastructure from further decline to the point where unique coastal habitats and eco- systems completely collapse and disappear.

In contrast a recent report by the Daily Maverick on the state of the Eastern Cape Wild Coast by esteemed South African environmental practitioners and investigative journalists reflect upon “Environmental Anarchy” destroying with what is no doubt one of Africa’s most precious and vulnerable coastlines. Unregulated sand mining, illegal land occupation, complete disregard for environmental legislation, corrupt traditional authorities, clearing of invaluable ancient dune forests, the destruction of wetlands as well as unbridled harvesting of all manner of marine life already impacts on the Eastern Cape Wild Coast’ s sustainability.

Until fairly recently the Garden Route boasted a much richer bio-diversity and interlinked marine and coastal habitats and eco- systems which today resemble but a fraction of what once thrived unbounded. Today the Garden Route is subjected to dense linear coastal development, commercial agriculture, mega invasive alien plant impact as well as exponential human influx with much more on the way as the Western Cape proves to be a must- see local and global destination.

The Southern Cape population prospers and continue to grow socio-economically as local market values rise along with increasing popularity from local and international tourism as the region is globally recognized as an iconic and safe destination.

The preservation of the Eastern Cape coastline should be elevated to a national priority, and it has to start with the collaboration of all governmental structures with the political will to ensure its preservation for future generations also facing challenges posed by a changing climate. The Wild Coast has the potential to be an easy match for the Western Cape environmental management success, but environmental lawlessness has to make way for responsible conservation, tourism, job creation and prosperity to follow.

The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) is a public platform for environmental managers and conservationists and a climate change think- tank. (www.grefscli.co.za).

ENDS