The tip of the iceberg : spatio-temporal patterns of marine resource confiscations in the Table Mountain National Park

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine the scale of marine poaching in the Table MountainNational Park by analysing the amounts of South African abalone, West Coast rock lobster, andshellfish, finfish and bait species confiscated from fishers operating in the park's marine protectedarea between 2000 and 2009. The research objectives were fourfold, namely to strengthenconceptual frameworks on illegal harvesting in protected areas; identify the quantities of thevarious species seized by park officials over the decadal period; cartographically plot the areas inwhich confiscations took place; and distinguish the different resource users and stakeholdersoperating in the park and examine the roles they play in resource exploitation. Data was collectedfrom offence logbooks maintained by SANParks rangers and managers, and from records kept byMarine and Coastal Management and the South African Police Services. GIS outputs indicatedseizure events over the spatial area of the park. Further data relating to the levels of poaching wassourced from illegal fishers operating in the park who discussed their operations candidly.The research findings indicate that poaching of both abalone and rock lobsters has increasedsignificantly over time. Other marine species show lesser amounts of resources poached over theten-year period. Spatial outcomes suggest that confiscations of abalone occur predominantly on theeast coast of the park, while higher seizure events occur on the west coast for lobsters. Shellfish,finfish and bait species were confiscated in equal amounts from illegal fishers on both the east andwest coasts. Future research recommended includes garnering further confiscations data from thepolice services and undertaking contemporary baseline assessments to discover the effectspoaching has had on the resource base since the previous stock assessment in 2001. The challengelaid out for the custodians of the Table Mountain National Park marine protected area is to provideand protect cultural and environmental resources, without compromising biodiversity management,community associations and conservation strategies.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University