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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Thank you for your attention