Kogelberg Co-management

Photo: Inka Schomer

The C.A.P.E (Cape Action for the People and the Environment) Marine Programme and the WWF-SA have identified the Kogelberg Marine Region as a focal area for strengthening conservation and promoting sustainable use of natural resources. An Integrated Management Plan is envisaged for the Kogelberg Marine Region that will focus on identifying and addressing some of the key issues affecting the Kogelberg Marine Region. A key objective of the C.A.P.E. marine programme is to test the feasibility of a co-management approach for management of coastal and marine resources in South Africa. The Environmental Evaluation Unit has therefore been commissioned to initiate a co-management process for the Kogelberg Marine Region, which will form part of the Integrated Management Plan.

In assessing the feasibility of implementing a co-management arrangement in the Kogelberg area, the EEU will assist in identifying key stakeholders groups and clarifying their needs and aspirations for the marine region. In particular, a stakeholder analysis will be undertaken to identify and understand the diverse stakeholder groups interested and affected by the Integrated Management Plan. This will inform the opportunities and threats to establishing a co-management process and an appropriate institutional arrangement in the area.

In addition, specific effort will be placed on the small-scale fishers in the area who derive a livelihood from the sea but who have been previously marginalised from local management decision-making. Socio-economic research, and other activities, will be undertaken with this group to ensure that an enhanced understanding of their current circumstances and needs can inform an integrated management strategy for the marine region. Finally, this project aims to identify the training needs of different stakeholder groups and to determine the feasibility of drawing on existing capacity development activities to enhance the objectives of the co-management process.