New vessel to bolster operations in iSimangaliso

It is with great pleasure that we introduce the new addition to the existing fleet capacity shared between the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority and its partner Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. This vessel will be utilised to support existing operations, from compliance and enforcement, to supporting monitoring and research, through to facilitating community and youth awareness in relation to the marine conservation space. This is the continuation of several current operational and strategic interventions to ensure that the iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area (MPA) upholds the objectives for which it was declared. These include conservation, sustainable tourism promotion, community support and empowerment.

The iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area was gazetted on the 23rd of May 2019 by the National Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. This means that the Marine Protected Area (formerly under protection through the Maputaland Marine Protected Area), and the St Lucia Marine Protected Area, were joined and vastly extended to form the iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area. Over 1,072,000 hectares of marine environment is now under formal protection. iSimangaliso is currently South Africa’s only UNESCO marine World Heritage Site, and shares an MPA with Mozambique, forming Africa’s largest transfrontier MPA. The acquisition of this vessel will contribute immensely towards the protection of the endangered species found in the coastal waters of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. “Jointly with our partners, we are committed to continuously ensuring this Marine Protected Area is a safe environment for all to enjoy sustainably,” said the CEO of iSimangaliso Mr Sibusiso Bukhosini.

For more information on the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, visit our website at isimangaliso.com. Media enquiries should be directed to Bheki Manzini at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..