Yearly, the staff at Robben Island Museum (RIM) rolls up their sleeves to wash up the shoreline to guard the island’s fragile marine ecosystem.
As a Marine Protected Space positioned simply off one in every of Africa’s busiest harbours, the Port of Cape City, Robben Island faces fixed strain from human exercise. Fishing and leisure boating within the surrounding waters usually result in marine air pollution. Litter and particles drift by means of the currents and ultimately wash ashore, fragmenting delicate ecological programs.
Consistent with this 12 months’s World Setting Day theme of “Ending Plastic Air pollution”, we take a look at how Robben Island is making a sustainable affect to guard the oceans and marine life.
Combatting Plastic Air pollution
Robben Island is a breeding floor for seabirds, together with the critically endangered African Penguin and the Financial institution Cormorant. Marine litter, particularly plastic, not solely disrupts their habitat but in addition causes entanglement, damage, and even demise amongst many species that decision this UNESCO World Heritage Web site house. Prevailing excessive winds and sea currents additionally exacerbate the positioning’s publicity to marine air pollution. That’s the place the coastal clean-up is available in. Every year, RIM employees, students, and group volunteers decide up particles in a bid to eradicate plastic air pollution.
In response to RIM, these efforts lead to greater than 1000 luggage of litter being collected in a single clean-up. RIM stated in an announcement that these coastal clean-up initiatives not solely protect the Island’s wealthy historical past but in addition function instructional platforms to boost consciousness among the many individuals concerning the impacts of waste on marine ecosystems. “Marine litter is recognized as a worldwide environmental risk, due to this fact, involving surrounding communities is a manner of selling environmental stewardship that contributes to world environmental efforts.”
Get Concerned
RIM additionally conducts adhoc clean-ups when mandatory and can be open to companions or organisations who could wish to dedicate their time and conduct a costal clear up on the island.
For additional data, go to Robben Island’s web site.
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