Conservation blogs

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.

Our marine areas are teeming with life and a variety of protection measures are used to protect the ocean, such as precautionary fishery management principles (bag limits, size limits, catch limits and closed seasons) and shipping and pollution regulations. But at the heart of the protection efforts, are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which are demarcated areas to conserve this incredible biodiversity. 

Biodiversity crime is a growing and often overlooked threat that directly harms South Africa’s unique ecosystems. From the illegal plant trade in the Western Cape to poaching and even picking wildflowers in protected areas without a permit, these acts all contribute to the degradation of biodiversity and the loss of crucial natural resources.

Biodiversity crime may sound like something intangible compared to other crimes encountered on a daily basis in our lives, but it is a very real and growing threat to our planet’s delicate ecosystems. 

Marine Dynamics Shark and Whale Tours has been honoured with the ATTA® Marine Impact Award during the Experience Africa Travel Conference in London on 23 June 2025. 

CapeNature showcased its significant achievements in conservation operations and exceptional biodiversity protection over the past year.

CapeNature launched the 2025 State of Conservation Report this morning at its annual Conservation Review, offering a clear, evidence-based view of the Western Cape’s biodiversity and how conservation efforts are measuring up.

The Western Cape Environmental Education Friends (WCEEF), together with members CapeNature, SANBI, Nature Connect, SANParks, Working on Fire, the City of Cape Town, The Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) and the Two Oceans Aquarium, is thrilled to announce the return of its successful competition for children in grades 6 – 9.

Biodiversity forms the bedrock of life on Earth. It is essential not only for sustaining healthy ecosystems but also for ensuring human wellbeing. Last week, on 22 May, we celebrated International Day for Biological Diversity, to raise awareness, educate, and build understanding around biodiversity issues, while inspiring collective effort to conserve it for future generations.

The International Day for Biodiversity, under this year’s theme of “Harmony with nature and sustainable development” is at the heart of a “whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach” to implement the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Global Framework and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, according to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

CapeNature is thankful that the government, seabird conservation organisations and the pelagic fishing industry have worked together to reach an in-principle agreement on overfishing restrictions around critical penguin breeding areas.

The Draft 2024 Western Cape Protected Areas Expansion Strategy is now out for public comment. You can read all about it here.