CapeNature is urging tour operators and guides to do more to educate visitors after issuing dozens of fines for biodiversity-related offences in protected areas during the second quarter of this year.
“We encourage them to brief visitors before entering protected areas by reminding them to stay on designated trails, respect wildlife, leave no trace, comply with permit requirements and follow all signage and staff instructions. These simple messages help prevent unintentional offences, protect biodiversity and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy these special places responsibly,” CapeNature GM: Advocacy Petro van Rhyn told Tourism Update.
Between April and June, CapeNature officials registered 10 cases and issued 48 fines for contraventions of legislation.
Van Rhyn said most of the fines issued during the quarter were handed to local residents rather than international visitors. Most offences were recorded in the vicinity of Goukamma Nature Reserve near Knysna.
She said the most common offences were entering reserves outside operating hours or into closed areas and breaches of the Marine Living Resources Act.
While biodiversity crime is often associated with poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking, according to CapeNature, many offences arise from everyday visitor behaviour such as entering protected areas without valid permits, fishing without licences, leaving designated hiking trails, picking wild flowers, removing rocks or shells as souvenirs and disturbing wildlife.
CapeNature CEO Ashley Naidoo said: “Nature is not a souvenir to be taken home, a shortcut to be explored off-trail or a playground without rules. The Western Cape’s biodiversity depends on the responsibility of all who visit protected areas. While many biodiversity offences may seem minor in isolation, their cumulative impact can be significant.”
