Hunting for Oil and Gas and Understanding the MPAs on the East Coast

I recently shared a great post about MPAs on Facebook, adding ‘Let’s see who knows what an MPA is, and where our SA ones are’.  It got one Like. ONE. “People are fundamentally shallow,” I concluded. “Or, you don’t have any friends,” a wise-ass mate replied. But now that there are MPAs in the exact spot that Shell are headed on an oil and gas hunt on South Africa’s East Coast, I bet I will. This article is written by DR MANDY UYS who specialises in Aquatic Ecosystems Science and Consulting.

An MPA is a Marine Protected Area – an area of coastal or offshore ocean that is protected by law or other means, and managed for the benefit of the marine ecosystem, its ecosystem services, and we the people.  SA’s current 41 declared MPAs (Prince Edward Island is a 42^nd) are in place to safeguard 5.4% of our ocean area and 87% of our marine ecosystem types.