Rocherpan clean-up kicks off MPA Day 2025 celebrations
CapeNature kicked off Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day celebrations with a community-driven beach clean-up at Rocherpan Nature Reserve on 31 July 2025. With school learners, volunteers, and the ever-popular Cubs Club mascot, Kai, lending a hand, all to highlight the link between marine and ocean protection and a public responsibility for conservation.
Now in its fifth year, MPA Day is a growing international movement dedicated to raising awareness about the role of MPAs in conserving biodiversity, supporting sustainable development, and ensuring long-term ocean health. First launched in South Africa in 2021, the date commemorates the historic proclamation of 20 new or expanded MPAs in South Africa on 1 August 2019, a significant milestone in marine protection.
This year’s theme, “Ocean Protection Needs Human Connection,” emphasises the role people play in successful marine conservation with over 90 events set to be held in more than 25 countries. A comprehensive list of events can be found here: MPA Day 2025 Events.
CapeNature manages seven of South Africa’s 42 MPAs, in addition to four nearshore islands and 13 estuaries, many of which are not formally designated as MPAs but contribute significantly to the country’s marine and coastal protected estate.
Marine Protected Areas are the underwater indicators of a healthy environment. MPAs are more than just lines on a map; they are part of a living network that depends on science, enforcement, partnerships, and above all, people. MPA Day is a reminder that a healthy ocean starts with informed and engaged communities who are part of the marine protection solution.
CapeNature collaborates closely with partners, including the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE), universities, conservation NGOs, and research institutions, to carry out regular monitoring across protected coastal areas. These efforts track biodiversity, monitor threats, and inform adaptive management in the face of challenges like overfishing, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
Join the conversation and show your support by using #MPADay2025 and #LetsTalkMPAs on social media.
Related News
Picking a wildflower? Everyday choices can amount to biodiversity crime in Protected Areas
Biodiversity crime is often associated with poaching or illegal wildlife trafficking, but some of the most common offences threatening the Western Cape's environment stem from the everyday actions of ordinary visitors to Protected Areas. Entering Protected Areas without a valid permit, fishing without the required licence, leaving designated hiking trails, picking wildflowers, removing rocks or shells as souvenirs, or disturbing wildlife may seem harmless, but
CapeNature Cubs Club celebrates Kai's second birthday with a day of fun, friendship and recognition
CapeNature's Cubs Club celebrated the second birthday of its beloved mascot, Kai the Leopard Cub, on Thursday, 16 July 2026, at Helderberg Nature Reserve, bringing together children, families, and partners for a day of fun and environmental celebration. The special occasion welcomed children from three orphanages – Goeie Hoop, Hope & Light, and Heartlands Baby Sanctuary – who were given the opportunity to join in the festivities and experience a day
World Seabird Day calls attention to public role in responding to ongoing avian influenza threat affecting birds
As the world marks World Seabird Day today, members of the public are urged to remain vigilant as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, continues to affect birds across South Africa, including seabirds along the Western Cape coastline. HPAI is a serious disease affecting birds and can result in significant mortality, particularly among wild bird populations. Members of the public are
CapeNature’s marine conservation work showcased in new kykNET adventure series ‘Hey Skipper’
The beauty, biodiversity and conservation value of the Western Cape’s coastline will be shown to audiences across South Africa when CapeNature features in the new primetime Afrikaans series, Hey Skipper, premiering on DStv Channel 144 kykNET on Saturday, 4 July 2026 at 18:00. Produced and presented by adventurer, filmmaker and outdoor enthusiast Dewald Visser, Hey Skipper takes viewers on a journey across some of the world’s most
The perfect time for a family escape into nature
Winter in the Western Cape is often misunderstood. While many people think of it as a season best spent indoors, it is actually one of the most rewarding times to slow down, reconnect, and take a short break close to home. For domestic travellers, especially families planning around the school holidays, winter offers the ideal opportunity to step away from routine without the stress of long travel or high-season crowds. It is a chance to rediscover what is right on your doorstep.
Newly discovered species named after CapeNature Ecologist, Dr Martine Jordaan
A newly described Paradiplozoon species has been named after CapeNature Fauna Ecologist, Dr Martine Jordaan, in recognition of her knowledge and passion for the aquatic life of the Cape Fold Ecoregion, continuous enthusiasm to study the region's fishes and understanding their parasitofauna. The newly identified species – Paradiplozoon jordaanae – is named after Dr Jordaan.