1. SOUTH AFRICA’S MPA EXPANSION STRATEGY:
DO WE NEED ADDITIONAL MPAs, MOST OF WHICH ARE TO BE NO-FISHERIES-TAKE ZONES?
Doug S Butterworth
MARAM (Marine Resource Assessment and Management Group)
Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa

2. NPAES THE NATIONAL PROTECTED AREAS EXPANSION STRATEGY (2008)
20% EEZ COVERAGE BY 2028
15% NO-FISHERIES-TAKE ZONES
OBJECTIVES TO ACHIEVE COST-EFECTIVE:
ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY
ADAPTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

3. CAVEEN et al. REVIEW THE CONTROVERSY OVER MARINE PROTECTED AREAS – SCIENCE MEETS POLICY Caveen, Polunin, Gray and Stead – Springer, 2015, 162 pp
FIRST MAJOR COMPREHENSIVE GLOBAL REVIEW
CONCLUSIONS:
EVIDENCE FOR BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS COMPELLING
EVIDENCE FOR FISHERIES BENEFITS THIN
TARGETS:
HAVE FLIMSY SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
LEAD TO MISDIRECTION OF RESEARCH FOCUS

4. TARGETS IRRELEVANT UNLESS SPECIES IS NEAR SESSILE
20% TARGET ORIGINATED FROM RECRUITMENT OVERFISHING CONCERNS WHEN ABUNDANCE LESS THAN 20% OF PRISTINE
IRRELEVANT UNLESS SPECIES IS NEAR SESSILE
CBD DEFINITION OF AN (M)PA
“a geographically defined area which is designated or regulated to achieve specific conservation objectives”
OUR WHOLE EEZ IS ALREADY AN MPA
MEETING INTERNATIONAL TARGETS IS IRRELEVANT
CHANGE THE CRITERION TO COGENT JUSTIFICATION

5. CURRENT LOCAL PROPOSALS OPERATION PHAKISA
IGNORE PRIMARY CRISIS IN SA FISHERIES
ILLEGAL INSHORE CATCHES (abalone, west coast lobster, linefish)
NEED TIME-AREA CLOSURES TO IMPROVE COMPLIANCE
BETTER ADDRESSED USING LEGISLATION THAT IS LESS CUMBERSOME TO IMPLEMENT
THE MLRA’s FISHERY MANAGEMENT AREAS
SIMILARLY USE FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES (to enhance data contrast) REQUIRES GREATER FLEXIBILITY

6. THE INTERNATIONAL PUSH FOR MPAs BY MANY ENGOs– WHY?
STRATEGIC OUTFLANKING INITIATIVE
FISHING INDUSTRIES HAVE DOMINANT INFLUENCE ON FISHERY DEPARTMENTS AND HENCE RFMOs
HENCE FOCUS ON CITES AND UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHERE ENVIRONMENT AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENTS DOMINATE
THE SIMPLISTIC MPA SOUNDBITE AND MOTIVATION WORKS WELL IN SUCH FORA
SOME OF THESE ENGOs ARE MOTIVATED BY A LACK OF FAITH THAT CONVENTIONAL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT CAN BE MADE TO WORK

7. MPAs – WHAT DOES SOUTH AFRICA NEED TO DO?
DROP THE QUITE RIDICULOUS CONCEPT OF AREA TARGETS
CHANGE TO THE “COGENT JUSTIFICATION” CRITERION
DROP THE ¾ NO-FISHERIES-TAKE OBJECTIVE; APART FROM PERHAPS A FEW LIMITED POSITIVES IN THE NEARSHORE, THESE OFFER ONLY NEGATIVE SOCIO- ECONOMIC IMPACTS CONTRARY TO PHAKISA AIMS
MAKE THE PRIMARY FOCUS ONE OF SPACE-TIME CLOSURES TO ASSIST REDUCE THE ILLEGAL FISHING THAT IS WIPING OUT OUR MAJOR INSHORE RESOURCES

8. MPAs – WHAT DOES SOUTH AFRICA NEED TO DO? THE BOTTOM LINE
THE FISHERIES ASPECTS OF THE NPAES AND PHAKISA MPA PROPOSALS ARE OUTDATED, AND GENERALLY WILL RESULT IN MORE HARM THAN GOOD. DEA NEEDS TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.

9. Thank you for your attention