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Young adult African penguins swimming at the Boulders penguin colony near Simon’s Town, Cape Town. Picture: JOHN YELD
Young adult African penguins swimming at the Boulders penguin colony near Simon’s Town, Cape Town. Picture: JOHN YELD

Without immediate government action, the African penguin, an iconic symbol of SA, could vanish from the wild by 2035.

Uplisted to critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in late 2024, the African penguin is the first penguin species of the 18 globally to meet the criteria for this classification.

Blue Marine Foundation, a marine conservation organisation, said on Tuesday the African penguin population has plummeted by 97%, with breeding pairs at a record low of less than 10,000.

A primary cause of the African penguin’s decline is a lack of available food due to competition from commercial fishing around its breeding colonies, which affects the species’ survival and breeding success.

A poll commissioned by Blue Marine said despite the urgent need for action, almost two-thirds (64%) of South Africans were unaware that the African penguin was critically endangered.

The poll found one in five (19%) admit they have no idea that the species could disappear in the next decade without intervention.

Data from the same poll of 2,000 South Africans reveals that 82% of the sampled population would swing their vote for a party or politician that prioritises environmental causes such as the protection of endangered wildlife. 

Almost half of respondents (49%) firmly believe national government bears primary responsibility for protecting endangered species.

A further one in five (19%) put the onus on the provincial and local government. 

Blue Marine said while there were existing no-take zones where commercial fishing is prohibited to help the penguins better access the sardines and anchovies they feed on, research by seabird scientists has demonstrated that these zones are inadequate for penguin conservation.

The survey results from Blue Marine come as the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) and BirdLife SA continue legal action to enforce greater protection of the species.

The two nonprofit organisations instituted a case against the office of the minister of forestry, fisheries & the environment last year in a bid to close purse seine fishing around key African penguin colonies. 

“Without timely and meaningful intervention, we are facing the complete extinction of Africa’s only penguin species,” said Nicky Stander, head of conservation at Sanccob.

Stander said the government had the power to reverse this tragic trend but it must act now. 

Blue Marine’s study also highlights a strong belief in human responsibility for the crisis. It found 53% of those polled attributed the African penguin’s decline to human activities, such as overfishing and pollution.

More than half of respondents [54%] claim the extinction of the species would damage the country’s reputation as a leader in wildlife conservation. 

“These iconic birds face imminent extinction unless we understand that humans are not the only species who rely on the ocean for food,” said Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine.

Brook said working with the government, African Penguins could be saved from starvation through the creation of effective no-take areas that protect their vital habitats.

“A simple yet effective measure that will avert yet another natural catastrophe,” Brook said. 

A petition has been launched to push the SA government to enact the changes needed to safeguard the species. The OnlyOne petition has already received 27,600 global signatures.

“The availability of sardine and anchovy is the key driver of the African penguin population and the sustainable management of purse seine fishing, such as the implementation of effective no-take zones around the last remaining large colonies, is a critical intervention to help conserve this species,” said Alistair McInnes, seabird conservation programme manager at BirdLife SA. 

McInnes said South Africans care deeply about their natural heritage and want their leaders to act. 

TimesLIVE 

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