The Supertubes Foundation is very pleased to be working with globally recognised ecologist, Professor Richard Cowling, who will advise them on issues related to the municipal coastal management plan, which will soon be undertaken by expert consultants.
Cowling is a long-time resident of Cape St Francis and a Seal Point local. He is emeritus professor of ecology at Nelson Mandela University and is globally recognised for the restoration of degraded ecosystems; his research being on the evolution and conservation of diversity in Cape biomes and the ecological resources that sustained human evolution on the Cape coast.
“We are fortunate indeed to have he best advice from someone who lives in the area – a surfer with a real interest and someone who has managed a coastal foundation (FOSTER) similar to ours successfully for more than 35 years,” said John Grobbelaar, chairperson of the Supertubes Foundation.
“We have had various on-site meetings with him and representatives from Kouga Municipality since July this year and plan to continue on this path.”
“There is a huge impact on the dunes in Jeffreys Bay, so I was very happy to be one of the advisors working on this project,” Cowling said, explaining how he really believed in the foundation (and its non-profit ethos) and was happy to apply his ecological knowledge to help with the Kouga Management Plan.
According to Cowling, the timelines are critical and things should progress fast over the coming months.
“The next section of coast they (Kouga) are going to focus on for the management plan will be from Paradise Beach to Kabeljous Mouth,” he said.
“I’m prepared to represent the concerns of the Supertubes Foundation, as well as the needs around the coastal area, in order to ensure we have best practice there.”
Cowling’s main concern through it all is that the planning doesn’t get hijacked by any particular interest groups for reasons other than ecological integrity.
“People are going to have to make some important decisions about access to the dunes – walking and sitting on the dunes… Some radical action must be made there, which is unlikely to be hugely popular, but this is what we must do. We have to ensure the health of the dunes, otherwise rising sea levels will undermine the rest of the infrastructure and the entire coastal frontage of the Supertubes area.”
In terms of the process: “I envision things getting into swing at the beginning of next year,” Cowling said.
“From there the plans can take structure and the consultants, as appointed by Kouga Municipality, will put forward a plan, I will be acting as an external evaluator, representing The Supertubes Surfing Foundation.
“Once maximum input is achieved, the actual management recommendations will follow.”
Once the draft plan is published and accepted by the municipality it then becomes a management and implementation process.
“What I’d like to see is that at the next J-Bay Contest in July (which I assume will go ahead next year), that we’ve got everything sorted out and that the required management has happened. It will be great to see that the dunes are ready and that the whole system is ready there to absorb the influx of people without doing any more damage.”
