CapeNature celebrates National Marine month, 12 October 2009

Bird Island, Cape West Coast – The Provincial Minister of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell together with the Cederberg Mayor, Judy Mouton have today launched a new Education Outreach Programme that will be held on two days of every month on Bird Island subsequent to the launch for learners of the West Coast region.

October has been declared National Marine Month aimed at raising awareness of the coast, marine life and coastal management issues in general.

Additional Marine Week celebrations, in the form of educational workshops, will be held across the provincial coastline with learners from disabled and marginalised communities.  These workshops will be facilitated by the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning’s (D:EA&DP) Coastal Management Unit (CMU) and local coastal District Municipalities. Learners will be empowered with information about marine life in line with the national Marine Week theme ‘From Oceans, to Climate, to Fauna and Flora’. Learners will ultimately be encouraged to take ownership of the environment through responsible management of their surrounds.

CapeNature is currently revamping facilities on the island to ensure that it continues to play its role as a major tourism attraction which bolsters the local economy, as the organisation firmly believes that it is able to secure ambassadors for conservation when it improves the livehoods of local communities through the sustainable utilization of our natural environment.

BACKGROUND
National Marine Month is an annual event which is aimed at raising awareness of the coast, marine life and coastal management issues in general. The weeklong programme at  Bird Island was co-ordinated by CapeNature, the  Western Cape Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (D:EA&DP) in conjunction with the National Department of Environment Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) as well as the West Coast and Cederberg Municipalities from 12 – 16 October 2009

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: 
Heini Odendal
Media Liaison Officer (MLO): Minister Anton Bredell
Ministry of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
Landline: 021 483 2820
Mobile: 078 262 1313
Email: hodendal@pgwc.gov.za




 




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