It is a wonderful thing when the community takes conservation matters into their own hands. Beaches get cleaned, stranded sea creatures get saved, awareness is raised about pertinent issues, and relevant matters are brought to the local government. In short, things happen.
That is exactly what the Strandloper Project has done in Knysna. This community driven organization conducts research in the coastal waters and estuaries of the Garden Route. Founded by a particularly passionate citizen scientist, this group of volunteers strive to monitor and improve the ocean ecosystem in this area. Through regular trash cleanups both above and below the surface, monitoring sand movement by drone, and documenting all changes in these unique ecosystems, they have been able to gain a good understanding of the challenges these natural spaces are facing.
Removing monofilament from the estuary on scuba.
Ghost fishing is one of the major issues in this area, and we spent the morning scuba diving in the Swartvlei Estuary to remove lost fishing tackle and asses the degradation of the ecosystem.
This degradation is unfortunately quite severe, with an excess of nutrients being washed downstream causing an algal build-up. The combination of eutrophication and the mouth being closed more often than normal (likely from increased water usage) has drastically decreased the amount of life in the estuary.
The once beautiful columns of rock have been smothered in algae, devoid of life.
Fortunately however, the expected, copious quantities of lost fishing tackle were virtually non-existent. We searched high and low for both monofilament and fish, and found neither. Only a few small pieces of microplastic and one net were hauled to the surface.
Valuable information was collected on this dive with the Strandloper Project, observations and records that will be put to good use. The data from citizen scientists like Mark Dixon – my dive buddy today – plays a crucial role in local conservation success.
