The Browns Bank Corals Marine Protected Area is an offshore conservation region in the exclusive economic zone of South Africa.
History
Purpose
A marine protected area is defined by the IUCN as "A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values".
The Browns Bank Corals MPA is specifically intended to protect cold water corals and their ecosystems and the biodiversity and ecological processes associated with these ecosystems. It is a known spawning ground for the commercially important hake fishery.
Extent
An offshore Marine Protected Area on the western edge of the Agulhas Bank about 70 nautical miles south of Cape Agulhas in the 250 m to 400 m depth range. The MPA includes the water column, sea bed, and subsoil within the boundaries. Total sea area protected is about 300 km2
Boundaries
The MPA comprises three separate areas
Browns Bank Corals 1 (North): Northern boundary: S35°33’, E19°11’ to S35°38.460’, E19°20’ Eastern boundary: S35°38.460’, E19°20’ to S35°42.780’, E19°20’ Southern boundary: S35°42.780’, E19°20’ to S35°38’, E19°11’ Western boundary: S35°38’, E19°11’ to S35°33’, E19°11’
Browns Bank Corals 2 (Central): Eastern boundary: S35°58’, E19°35’ to S35°58’, E19°41’ Southern boundary: S35°58’, E19°41’ to S36°8’, E19°53’ Western boundary: S36°8’, E19°53’ to S36°8’, E19°46.50’ Northern boundary: S36°8’, E19°46.50’ to S35°58’, E19°35’
Browns Bank Corals 3 (South): Northern boundary: S36°22’, E20°0’ to S36° 22’, E20°2’ North-eastern boundary: S36°22’, E20°2’ to S36°32’, E20°13’ Southern boundary: S36°32’, E20°13’ to S36°32’, E20°10’ South-western boundary: S36°32’, E20°10’ to S36°24’, E20°0’ Western boundary: S36°24’, E20°0’ to S36°22’, E20°0’
Zonation
The entire MPA is a controlled area.
Management
The marine protected areas of South Africa are the responsibility of the national government, which has management agreements with a variety of MPA management authorities, which manage the MPAs with funding from the SA Government through the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is responsible for issuing permits, quotas and law enforcement.
Benefits
Cold water corals provide habitat for Hake and other fish to reproduce and for their young to be protected during growth. When studied, cold water corals provide climate information from many years ago, which can be compared to recent data to provide insight about our current climate. Studying this area may also uncover species as yet undocumented by science. Adhering to Hake fishery eco-certification standards safeguards the coral and habitat it provides as well as promoting the well-being of local communities that depend on fishing for jobs and food.
Geography
Climate of the South-western Cape
Seasonal variations in sea conditions
Ecology
The MPA is in the cool temperate Atlantic offshore bioregion to the west of the continental shelf.
Three major habitats exist in the sea in this region, two of them distinguished by the nature of the substrate. The substrate, or base material, is important in that it provides a base to which an organism can anchor itself, which is vitally important for those organisms which need to stay in one particular kind of place. Rocky shores and reefs provide a firm fixed substrate for the attachment of plants and animals. Some of these may have Kelp forests, which reduce the effect of waves and provide food and shelter for an extended range of organisms. Sedimentary bottoms are a relatively unstable substrate and cannot anchor many of the benthic organisms. Finally there is open water, above the substrate and clear of the kelp forest, where the organisms must drift or swim. Mixed habitats are also frequently found, which are a combination of those mentioned above.
Rocky reefs
There are rocky reefs and mixed rocky and sandy bottoms. For many marine organisms the substrate is another type of marine organism, and it is common for several layers to co-exist.