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Save Langebaan Lagoon - STOP ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

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Planned large scale industrial Aquaculture Development Zone threatens unique bay and lagoon waters . Donate Here: www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/proje...

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Save Langebaan Lagoon – Against Aquaculture in Lagoon

2 days ago

Save Langebaan Lagoon
NPO No. 212-102
HIGH COURT ACTION TO SAVE ICONIC LAGOON FROM ECOLOGICAL DISASTER

Extract from our media briefing held at the Bay Hotel - 30th August 2019

No fish farming in Langebaan Lagoon – Not Now, Not Ever!

Cape Town, August 2019 – A “David vs Goliath” battle is set to unfold in the Cape High Court when local public interest group Save Langebaan Lagoon takes on the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). Save Langebaan Lagoon is launching a colossal bid to save the pristine Langebaan lagoon from commercial fish farming that is set to destroy this treasured jewel of the West Coast.

The Langebaan Lagoon was designated as a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention on the 25th April 1988, in recognition of its immense biodiversity value. Only 90 minutes’ drive from Cape Town, the lagoon is a burgeoning tourist hotspot, driving economic growth in the region. This unique natural heritage site is now under threat of irreversible, ecological degradation by plans to develop an industrial scale (884 hectares), sea-based Aquaculture Development Zone (ADZ). The ADZ will be located a mere kilometre off Langebaan’s pristine coastline, in the bay waters shared by Langebaan and Saldanha Bay, which co-mingle with the waters of the Langebaan Lagoon. This sea-based ADZ is a project that falls under the auspices of Operation Phakisa (Oceans Economy), a National Development Plan initiative to accelerate economic growth and prosperity.

In addition to DAFF’s application for authorisation from the Department of Environmental Affairs, two private fishing consortiums, Molapong Aquaculture and Southern Cross Aquaculture also successfully submitted applications for commercial aquaculture operations within the ADZ.
The developers have failed to weigh their unsubstantiated claims of job creation against the considerable job losses that will occur when the tourism-based economy of Langebaan collapses, due the negative impacts of fish farming on this protected marine ecosystem. Moreover, the proposed development overlaps significantly with the area traditionally fished by Langebaan’s indigenous small-scale fishers. The development will compound the economic vulnerability of the local fishing community, preventing them from accessing the waters that have provided their livelihoods for generations.
Despite Save Langebaan Lagoon’s scientifically-supported opposition throughout the Environmental Impact Assessment process, in January 2018, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) granted authorisations to the applicants to proceed with the industrial-scale fish-farming development. In response thereto, SLL submitted an unsuccessful appeal against such authorisations to the Minister of Environmental Affairs, (the late Minister Edna Molewa). SLL have now taken the bold step of pursuing a judicial review of the Minister’s decision, in the Cape High Court.

What will fish farming do to the Lagoon?

Open cage farming of alien salmon and rainbow trout, as well as mussel and oyster cultivation on giant floating rafts and long lines, poses an untenable risk of irreversible damage to the wild populations of migratory birds, fish, marine mammal and plant life. Many of these species are currently threatened or endangered. The protected wetlands of the lagoon provide a world-renowned bird-watchers’ paradise. Habitats, flight paths and feeding patterns will be negatively impacted by the aquaculture infrastructure and the inevitable water pollution. Sixty years of global aquaculture experience and a weighty body of peer-reviewed scientific research, show the destructive impact on the marine ecology due to the toxic accumulation of fish faecal matter and feed waste, antibiotics and hormones used to treat the fish and anti-fouling chemicals for the cages. The rapidly growing opposition to sea-based aquaculture around the world has not been given any formal consideration by the developers.

Save Langebaan Lagoon (SLL) was formed in February 2017 to oppose this threat. They launched a vibrant social media driven community awareness campaign that has garnered the signatures of 32 000 people for their petition. In the two and a half years of vigorously opposing the ADZ, they have raised over R550 000 to generate independent research reports to counter the findings of the BARs. SLL is not intrinsically opposed to aquaculture, and is mindful that the commercial cultivation of fish, when sited in a low-risk environment and conducted in a sustainable way (e.g. an on-shore facility), could yield economic and employment benefits. SLL’s opposition centres on the fact that this aquaculture development is to be implemented in the fragile marine ecosystem of the Lagoon, a plan that poses irreversible socio-economic and ecological damage.

Call to Action:

Expert legal assessment of the merits of the case shows that SLL has a good prospect of success. SLL has therefore retained the well-respected environmental law firm of Cullinan and Associates to challenge the development in the High Court. SLL urgently needs to strengthen its constituency of support, as litigation costs are likely to be as high as R2.5 million. This important fight for environmental and socio-economic justice is not only a critical issue for all sectors of the Langebaan community, but is equally a pressing issue of provincial and national importance.

Save Langebaan Lagoon urgently calls on businesses and citizens to support their campaign through donating funds, signing the online petition and supporting their fundraising events to ensure that Langebaan Lagoon remains free from the threat of commercial fish farming.

As we commence Heritage Month, we have the opportunity to mobilize support to defend and protect a special part of our natural heritage. The Langebaan Lagoon is an area of unique natural beauty, for respite and recreation. It deserves to be protected as a destination of choice for many local, national and international visitors for generations to come. Join the campaign today.

Contact Details:
For more info on the legal aspects contact:
jennifer@savelangebaanlagoon.co.za
Clifford Wright – Chairperson: clifford@savelangebaanlagoon.co.za
Also: inge@savelangebaanlagoon.co.za
Website: www.savelangebaanlagoon.co.za

Donations: ABSA Bank

Account Name: Save Langebaan Lagoon
Account No: 4094 783363 Branch Code: 632005
Ref.: Name / Organisation or donate via:
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4 days ago

Every black dot you see is a seal! ... See MoreSee Less

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5 days ago

There has been a lot of talk about the increase in the number of seals in the bay, the following was sent us. What are your thoughts? ... See MoreSee Less

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2 weeks ago

Shark bay mornings #peaceful help us stop it becoming a rubbish dump #pollution #clean

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