We are privileged to have Michael Rutzen as our guest speaker on Tuesday 29 March at 17h30 (5.30 pm) at the Green House. Mike free dives with great white sharks in order to understand their behaviour better. He is one of only three people in the world able to communicate with great white sharks using body language. Michael has been …
WCC and Friends Celebrate Arbor Week in the Overstrand
Arbor Day in Gansbaai Whale Coast Conservation celebrated the first of its Arbor Week tree planting events in Gansbaai. Arbor Day 2015 was graciously hosted by Gansbaai Academia. Headmaster Mr Tommy Wilson, members of staff and learners participated enthusiastically in the planting of indigenous trees – a yellowwood, tree fuchsia and white stinkwood. Councillor for Gansbaai Riana de Coning (fourth …
Arbor Day at Gansbaai Academia
Whale Coast Conservation celebrated the first of its Arbor Week tree planting events in Gansbaai. Arbor Day 2015 was graciously hosted by Gansbaai Academia. Headmaster Mr Tommy Wilson, members of staff and learners participated enthusiastically in the planting of indigenous trees – a yellowwood, tree fuchsia and white stinkwood. Councillor for Gansbaai Riana de Coning (fourth from left) enthusiastically supported …
WCC at the Walker Bay Bird Fair
The Walker Bay Bird Fair in Stanford promises to be a mega-occasion with birding, talks, exhibits and other attractions, taking place in the last week of February. Whale Coast Conservation will have its own exhibition tent open on Friday the 27 and Saturday 28 February. Do come along and to be part of this international Fair. The theme for the …
Fernkloof Integrated Management Plan
The draft IMP is a good document that has been drawn up with a great deal of input from the Overstrand environmental staff and the Fernkloof Advisory Board. Your comments can make it even better, especially with regard to the types of development you would like to see or not see in the reserve.
The Tale of the Kukumakranka
On a Sunday evening late in December I got a call from an excited Frank Woodvine. “Have you ever seen a kukumakranka?” he asked. Frank is the elder statesman of the Hermanus Botanical Society and a former curator of Fernkloof Nature Reserve. I had recently read an article about it in Veld and Flora so I could at least appear …
AGM 2014
About 60 members and guests gathered at the GreenHouse on 9 September for WCC’s 12 AGM. We appreciate the support shown by Mayor Nicolette Botha-Guthrie for WCC’s work. Chairman Jamie Hart outlined the aspirations and future plans of the organisation, especially in developing activities that will result in an income stream to make the organisation less dependent on grant funding. …
Talk on Sustainable Fishing
Whale Coast Conservation’s second public talk in June was on the critical issue of sustainable fishing. The speakers from WWF-SA were John Duncan, Senior Manager of the Marine Programme, and Mkhululi Silandela, small-scale fisheries officer in the Kogelberg area. John Duncan first gave an overview of the WWF Marine Programme. He started with a quote fromThomas Huxley, 1883: “Probably all …
Protecting our Oceans
It is possible for governments to make bold moves to protect nature. In 2012 Australia announced a comprehensive network of marine protected areas that covers 40 per cent of their oceans. Only 0.4% of South Africa’s mainland marine territory is protected within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and most offshore habitat types are unprotected. South Africa is taking a small step …