WITSAND NEWS - Dr Aiden Wood and Vernon Gibbs-Hall presented a workshop in Witsand on 13 April.

Rhodes University (Enviro-Fish Africa) has been contracted by Eden Districted Municipality to facilitate the development of a Municipal Coastal Management Programme (CMP) in terms of Chapter 6 (Part 3) Section 48 of the Intergrated Coastal Management Act (Act 24 of 2008). Essentially the CMP will become a policy directive for the management of the coastal zone within the jurisdiction of the Eden District Municipality, and will aim to achieve the Vision via a host of coastal management objectives.

As a starting point the following coastal management objectives will be addressed (in no particular order of importance).

• Water quality/quantity
• Disaster management
• Sustainable livelihoods
• Tourism
• Cultural & heritage resources
• Infrastructure, spatial planning and development
• Biodiversity conservation/protection
• Institutional arrangements
• Compliance/Enforcement
• Education & awareness

Each of these broad-based objectives will comprise a number of prioritised issues that will be dealt with through the implementation of Management Action Plans (MAPs). These MAPs will clearly define each issue, the applicable legislation, the mandate for action, time frames and the requirement for implementation (manpower and where possible financial). These objectives will be amended after comments/inputs received from stakeholders during the course of the workshops. It is imperative that residents/stakeholders in Witsand attend these workshops, so that all aspects from the community can be tabled for consideration and thereby embrace public participation.

Dates for the next workshop will be advertised in the South Cape FORUM.

(Lorraine Martin)