- The SA Navy plans to start underwater explosive exercises next week close to a colony of endangered African penguins near Simon's Town.
- It's not clear if the SA Navy has undertaken environmental impact assessments related to their exercises, but the site has been used for decades.
- Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion Cape Town want the Navy to call off the detonations and have planned a protest on Saturday, 20 January.
- For climate change news and analysis, go to News24 Climate Future.
The SA Navy's plan to start underwater explosive exercises next week near a sizable colony of endangered African penguins at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town has alarmed some residents, activists and scientists. They are questioning the impact on the birds and other endemic and endangered species in False Bay.
The Navy's hydrographic office issued a coastal navigation warning earlier this month about the shallow water demolitions, requesting that vessels keep clear. Using the coordinates provided, the area to be used for the explosives is off the coast of Simon's Town.
False Bay, which is rich and unique in biodiversity because it's affected by warm water eddies from the Agulhas current, deep upwellings from the Southern Ocean basin and the cold Benguela current, is a Hope Spot, as designated by renowned US-based marine scientist Dr Sylvia Earle's Mission Blue. This means it is scientifically identified as a critical part of the health of the ocean.
Two Marine Protected Areas (MPA) are also found in False Bay. These are Heldeberg MPA and part of Table Mountain National Park MPA, which incorporates the shoreline of Simon's Town.
Threatened and protected species in False Bay include white sharks, abalone, African penguins, West Coast rock lobster and over-exploited line fish species such as galjoen, silver kob and geelbek, according to the SA MPA website.
READ |African penguin under threat due to ship-to-ship refuelling in Algoa Bay, warn conservationists
An acoustic world beneath the waves
"The ocean is an acoustic world. Unlike light, sound travels extremely efficiently in seawater, and marine mammals and many fish and invertebrates depend on sound to find mates, find food, avoid predators, navigate and communicate," Dr Judy Mann, executive head of strategy at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and founder of the #NotOnOurWatch African penguin survival campaign, said in note.
Research published in 2022 by African penguin expert Lorien Pichegru and eight other scientists found that the intensification of underwater noise levels in the African penguin's foraging habitat in Algoa Bay, which is off Gqeberha, was significantly related to the collapse of what had been the world's largest remaining colony of endangered African penguins.
Protests planned
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion Cape Town said they are planning a protest in Simon's Town on Saturday, 20 January.
Cassi Goodman, a member of Extinction Rebellion Cape Town, said the organisation wanted to stop the naval exercises from taking place, whether or not it was an exercise in an underwater demolition range that had been in use for decades. Said Goodman:
Just because they have been doing it for 60 years doesn't mean they should keep doing it. We used to build houses with asbestos.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) is encouraging its supporters to email people at in the SA Navy, Cape Town's Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, ward councillors, Minister of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy, while also sharing information with conservationist networks, making digital posters for awareness and posting on social media.
"With coastal wildlife already multiply vulnerable, we want transparency about these destructive activities, including their use, necessity, and environmental impact," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement. It added:
Globally, militaries need to be held to far greater account for their ecocidal behaviour. We at XR demand accountability from the South African Navy in alignment with our core demand that those with power tell the truth about our environmental crisis. Most importantly, we call on the Navy to stop their planned detonation. There are always other options.
In response to questions, the Naval Base Simon's Town public relations department said the underwater demolitions training exercise is for divers - and the organisation has been carrying out this training since its inception, as required by law.
"This is to prepare and train them (navy divers) for some of their responsibilities, which include clearing harbour entrances, underwater canals, beach landings, and any other underwater demolition jobs that may arise.
"At all times, the South African Navy should maintain a capable force ready to respond to any hostile circumstance, which could include economic sabotage situations in which sea mines are put in the country's major ports, necessitating the use of navy divers. As a result, training and force preparation are critical components of members' competency and certification," it said.
The public relations department added that the training exercise is to be conducted in a demarcated area:
The training exercise takes place in a designated and charted Shallow Water Demolitions Range Military Practice Area, which is largely used for such training and exercises. The range's limit for underwater demolitions is 5 kilogrammes, which has been in effect since its inception in the 1980s.
The training will only last one day - between 22 January and 1 February.
It's not clear whether the SA Navy has undertaken environmental impact assessments related to their exercises in False Bay or if the institution works to mitigate any negative effects.
Councillor Simon Liell-Cock, a member of the Democratic Alliance whose ward includes Simon's Town, told News24 that while environmental impact assessments are required by law in certain circumstances, this is not one of them.
"I can assure you that I and the City of Cape Town are well aware of the environmental concerns regarding the endangered African penguin."
"To this end, the City has, together with SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) and SANParks over the past 10 years, invested significant time and money towards protecting the Boulders colony," Liell-Cock said.
The City is not able to intervene and stop the exercise because the Navy does not fall under its authority, he added.
Liell-Cock responded to residents who raised concerns and said the identified underwater range had been in use for many years and that he's been told the exercises due to take place will happen over one or two days.
Nonetheless, the effect on the Boulders penguin colony remained a concern, he said, adding that he was in communication with the City's coastal team to monitor the situation.
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Weighing the costs
South African environmental writer and conservation consultant Adam Welz said claims being made that similar exercises in the past had minimally disrupted marine life lacked evidence.
He added that African penguins were far more numerous decades ago and didn't breed in the area. "So, the past is irrelevant to the current discussion. The African penguin is classified as endangered and is declining so fast that scientists project it may be functionally extinct by 2035."
He has urged the City of Cape Town to stop the naval exercises from going ahead.
"Even if explosions are triggered in a small proportion of the designated area for a limited time, the entire designated area is very close to the breeding colonies, and a single explosion could injure and kill many penguins," he said, adding:
How many dead or injured penguins is too many?
Ren e Bonorchis was contracted to the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation to manage its African penguin survival campaign in 2023. She also volunteers for its turtle conservation programme and is a marine sciences student with the aquarium. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the Two Oceans Aquarium, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation or any of their affiliates.
*This article was updated on Sunday, 21 January 2024, to include comments from the Naval Base Simon's Town.
