Ecotourism benefits the ocean economy
It promotes conservation and protection of areas and species that desperately need it
Globally, an increasing number of tourists want to know that the money that they spend is helping to make the world a better place. They want to support conservation efforts, they want access to restaurants with sustainable seafood options (and no plastic straws), and they want to make the “right” choice when it comes to their choices as consumers. They are the backbone of ecotourism, which aims to achieve sustainable development through economic growth, environmental integrity and social justice while promoting responsible travel, and this is how multi-faceted organisation Marine Dynamics describes its clients.
Marine Dynamics is a family of organisations dedicated to the marine environment, with offerings that incorporate ecotourism and research. They are involved in various conservation projects ranging from the protection of the African Penguin population to marine animal rescue efforts and the combatting of pollution. The company has also done more than two decades of detailed research around great white sharks, as well as various whale and dolphin species. All of this is made possible through tourism.
Ecotourism in action
One of their offerings is tourist and educational activities in the Dyer Island ecosystem. Part of the revenue generated goes to the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, where it’s used to promote and protect this fragile ecosystem. The company joins many other ecotourism hubs, certified by the nonprofit Fair Trade Tourism (FTT), an organisation that promotes responsible tourism in Southern Africa and beyond. This certification signifies a company’s commitment to fair and responsible tourism, which includes fair wages and working conditions, fair purchasing and operations, equitable distribution of benefits and respect for human rights, culture and the environment.
Sharks are friends, not food
Marine Dynamics regards itself as one of the leaders in responsible shark cage diving and whale watching. According to the company chairman Wilfred Chivell, this simultaneously serves the objectives of the ocean economy, tourism, the environment and the community. “We educate 35 000 visitors every year and help change negative perceptions of the often-misunderstood white shark,” he explains.
Chivell says that shark cage diving is the only effective monitoring tool of great white sharks in South Africa: “Because of these tours, daily observational data is collected by onboard marine biologists, who continually identify gaps in marine conservation knowledge, education and awareness.”
This is done by tagging and tracking great white sharks, conducting behavioural surveys, wound healing, environmental parameter monitoring and population studies. “This is effective science that can be translated into evidence-based conservation initiatives and legislation,” he says.
Through these tours, the team also tries to emphasise the benefits of non-consumption. They want to educate people that a shark in the water contributes much more to the ocean economy than one that has been caught and sold at a once-off price of R8/kg.
The sharks in the area are attracted to the large seal colony on Dyer Island, but they are not the region’s only inhabitants that are at risk. The Dyer Island ecosystem is also the home of the critically endangered African Penguin.
Leading conservation efforts of the African penguin
It is estimated that at least 90 African penguins have died every week over the last 30 years, and the conservation trust is trying to reverse the damage and avoid the extinction path that the African Penguin is on in the wild. As part of the African Penguin Nesting Project, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust replaced heavily exploited penguin nesting sites with artificial nests. During the mid-1800s and early 1900s, guano was harvested en masse from offshore islands and sold as fertiliser.
“The penguins now struggle to burrow into the hard, rocky substrate on Dyer Island and other colonies, and have been forced to nest on the surface,” explains Chivell. “This leaves their eggs and chicks exposed to predation by Kelp Gulls, and vulnerable to other environmental influences.”
The project, which originally started on Dyer Island in partnership with Capenature, has since expanded to include the placement of over 2 000 nests in key colonies including Boulders, Stony Point and Ichaboe in Namibia.
But even this wasn’t enough for Chivell. Tourists now also have access to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary that was established in 2015. It’s a safe haven for injured or abandoned seabirds and penguins — a halfway house where they are rehabilitated before being released back into the wild.
An investment worth protecting
Chivell says the South African government has unlocked investments in the oceans economy amounting to around R18-billion since the inception of Operation Phakisa. This project, which was approved by cabinet in 2014, prioritises six growth areas that contribute to unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans, based on their potential contribution to economic growth and job creation.
According to Chivell, more than 4 500 jobs have been created in the sector to date. “Ecotourism is thus a way of sustainably using the oceans for income generation, job creation, educational projects and to fund conservation efforts,” he says. His company alone provides work to 111 people.
For Chivell and his team at Marine Dynamics, conservation through ecotourism is as easy — and as necessary — as breathing: “For some, the ocean is a resource and for some a place of healing. For others it’s about conservation and protection. Surprisingly, people rarely mention oxygen. To me, this is my life!”