Efforts underway to save Africa’s only penguin species #conservation #marine #africanpenguin BirdLife South Africa
Transcript
The African Penguin is the only Penguin that lives and breeds exclusively in Africa. Sadly, this tuxedoed bird could be extinct in a decade. The latest census done last year reveals less than 10,000 breeding pairs left in the wild. Most of these, just over 8300, are in South Africa, down from just over 27,100 in 2008. To stop the. The time the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, or SANCCOB, and fellow conservation group Bird Life South Africa, represented by the Biodiversity Law Centre, are waging a legal battle to get wider, more meaningful fishing restrictions. African Penguins are specialist feeders, so they feed on sardine and anchovy, but it also means that they're in direct competition with the persane fishing industry. In August last year, former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creasey announced that six No Take fishing zones, officially introduced at the main Penguin breeding colonies in 2022 would remain in place until 2033. These extend to. And almost 12.5 mile radius, which scientists have found to be beneficial, particularly during breeding. However, Sanccob says an international panel of experts appointed by the minister two years ago recommended an additional measure of mapping out where the Penguins find their food so that these areas can also be protected. He hasn't implemented that recommendation, so she hasn't reduced the competition between the fisheries industry and the Penguins. In response to VOA's request for comment on the court case, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment spokesperson Peter Belangia said that the matter is ongoing and is set to be heard at the North Harting High Court in October. Meanwhile, as the wheels of justice turned, San Cobb is fundraising to expand the chick rearing. Unit at its centre in Table View, Cape Town. It currently takes in around 400 abandoned eggs and up to 600 abandoned chicks each year. Reasons for parents leaving include food shortages or extreme weather conditions like heat waves or flooding. The new Chick reading unit will allow us to accept more eggs from the colonies because it just provides us with more space to hold more group incubators so that we can hatch more eggs. They need 14 thousand U.S. dollars to finish building the new unit where checks like these will receive the best care and eventually be released back into the wild. Vicky Stark, VOA News, Cape Town, South Africa.To view or add a comment, sign in
