SECURING OCEAN BIODIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

This report, commissioned by UNDP South Africa and published by WWF South Africa, provides a roadmap for implementing Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to help South Africa meet the Global Biodiversity Framework's '30x30' target. It identifies potential marine OECM mechanisms, assesses their biodiversity value and area-based contributions, estimates recognition costs, and proposes a structured national framework for identification, assessment, and reporting.

• South Africa aims to expand its mainland exclusive economic zone (EEZ) marine conservation network to 20% by 2030. Currently, the network covers 5.4% through marine protected areas (MPAs). The planned expansion of approximately 15% is intended to be split between MPAs (roughly 10%) and OECMs (roughly 5%).
• A desktop study identified that existing mechanisms—specifically permanent fisheries exclusion zones, exclusion zones for penguin breeding colonies, and military zones—could immediately add 1.27% (13,618.8 km2) to South Africa's mainland EEZ marine conservation estate, representing a 23% increase over current coverage.
• The potential marine OECM sites analyzed show significant biodiversity value, with 66.94% of the collective area overlapping with critical biodiversity areas (CBAs) or ecological support areas (ESAs).
• Among the most promising existing mechanisms, permanent fisheries exclusion zones (specifically trawl closures in bays and inshore areas) provide the largest area-based contribution at 11,576.9 km2, though they may be more challenging to recognize due to their size and complex stakeholder engagement needs.
• Small-scale fishing zones are identified as a promising novel OECM mechanism. While they do not yet exist in practice, 98% of surveyed small-scale fishers expressed a desire for their co-operatives to establish such zones, and 100% wanted them assessed for OECM recognition.
• The basic costs for identifying, assessing, and reporting on the 27 potential OECM sites are estimated between R503,562 and R1,883,654. Individual site costs range from approximately R18,000 to R72,000, with trawl closures being the most expensive due to high-input stakeholder negotiation and equity assessments.
• The report proposes a national roadmap consisting of six workstreams: Legal, Social, Financial, Procedural, Site-Level Marine OECM Recognition, and Further Evaluation. This framework is designed to standardize the identification, assessment, and reporting of OECMs in alignment with CBD and IUCN guidelines.
• Community trust funds are highlighted as the most promising sustainable finance instrument for community-based OECMs, as they provide stable, predictable financing and foster local ownership.

APA

Kowalski, P., & Smith, C. (2025). SECURING OCEAN BIODIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/marine-oecm-report_jun25.pdf

Chicago

Kowalski, Peter, and Craig Smith. SECURING OCEAN BIODIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa, 2025. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/marine-oecm-report_jun25.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kowalski |first1=Peter |last2=Smith |first2=Craig |title=SECURING OCEAN BIODIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2025 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/marine-oecm-report_jun25.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kowalski2025securing, author = {Kowalski, Peter and Smith, Craig}, title = {{SECURING OCEAN BIODIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2025}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/marine-oecm-report_jun25.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }